Here is a quick guide to the upcoming California Gubernatorial Recall Election taking place on September 14.
Voting
Beginning August 16, all registered voters will be sent a vote-by-mail ballot. Drop-off boxes will be available beginning August 17. At any time after August 16, voters may go to the county elections office in Ventura and request a ballot. The ballot can be cast then as well.
In-person voting may begin in certain counties on September 4. All but three California counties will offer a combination of in-person voting and ballot drop-off locations. Ventura County will utilize 38 ballot drop-off locations and 51 in-person voting locations. Sites were being finalized at the time of publication and will include several government buildings, schools and some business locations.
The last day to register to vote is August 30. The link to county registration is: https://registertovote.ca.gov/
Anyone who misses the August 30 voter registration deadline, but who wishes to vote on Election Day, may request a conditional voter registration, also referred to as a same-day voter registration, at a polling place or vote center.
Provisional ballots are an option for voters who no longer have their ballots. They may request a provisional ballot at a polling place or vote center. Military and overseas voters can fax in ballots on Election Day.
Candidates
The list of approved candidates to replace current governor Gavin Newsom in the September 14 recall election — should a majority of voters select “Yes” to recall him on the ballot — has been finalized by the Secretary of State. Newsom is not a candidate for his own recall. Enough “Yes” votes on the recall question guarantee he will be removed from office and replaced by whichever of the more than 45 candidates receives the most votes.
The winner of the recall election will be certified 38 days after the election, on October 22, and complete Newsom’s current term, through January 2, 2023. The next regularly scheduled election for governor is November 8, 2022.
Ventura County features two candidates on the ballot: Sam Gallucci (R), a pastor/CEO/consultant, and John Drake (D), a college student.
History: California’s Most Recent Recall
In the 2003 recall election of Democrat governor Gray Davis, 9.4 million registered voters cast a ballot. Of those, 55.4% (4.9 million) voted “Yes” to recall Gray Davis (D). He was replaced by actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, who received 48.58% of votes from among 135 candidates.
As of February 10, 2021, California’s Secretary of State reports 22 million registered voters from among 25 million eligible voters. Ventura County has 507,263 registered voters from among 537,205 eligible voters, or 94 percent, the seventh-highest registration rate in the state.
