California Recall Election -- FAQ

How many candidates are running?

The California Secretary of State's office certified 135 people for the Oct. 7 ballot.

What will the ballot look like?

The ballot will be composed of three parts. The first will ask, yes or no, should Davis be recalled. The second part will be a list of candidates running to replace Davis. If a majority votes not to recall Davis, this section will be ignored. If a majority votes to recall the governor, the candidate who receives the most votes in this section will be the new governor.

The biggest challenge for many voters could be finding their candidate on the ballot. Nearly 200 candidates will be listed in random order. The replacement candidates will be listed in a different order in each of the state's 80 assembly districts.

The third part of the ballot will contain two referendum questions not related to the recall.

Must I vote in each part of the ballot?

No. A voter can skip any part of the ballot but still have his or her vote counted in the portion(s) of the ballot completed. For example, a voter can skip the yes/no part of the ballot and still vote for a replacement candidate.

Can I vote 'no' on the recall question and still vote for a candidate to replace Gov. Davis?

Yes. No matter how a person votes on the yes/no portion of the ballot, his or her vote for a replacement candidate will be counted.

How many votes does Davis need to remain governor?

For Davis to remain governor, a majority of the votes on the yes/no portion of the ballot must be 'no.'

How many votes does a candidiate need to replace Gov. Davis?

If the recall vote is successful, the replacement candidate who receives the most votes (a plurality, not necessarily a majority) will be the new governor.

If a new governor is elected, when would they take office?

If the recall is successful and Gov. Davis is removed from office, the replacement governor would take office as soon as the votes are certified, which could take UP TO 39 days after the election.

How is a recall election initiated?

California law allows for a recall election for statewide officials if a recall petition is signed by a number of voters equal to 12 percent of the number of people who voted in the most recent election for that office. To recall state legislators, petitioners must collect a number of signatures equal to 20 percent of the number of people who voted in the most recent election.

The process begins when a notice-of-intent-to-recall is filed, which must be signed by 65 voters. Leaders of the recall effort then have 160 days to collect the necessary number of signatures.

If the required number of signatures is collected, the secretary of state validates the signatures and then certifies the petition. After certification, the lieutenant governor has 60 to 80 days to call an election.

Who can run in the recall election?

According to the California Secretary of State's Office, "A candidate shall be a U.S. citizen and shall be a registered voter and otherwise qualified to vote for that office at the time that nomination papers are issued to the person." In other words, if you can legally cast a vote for governor of California you can run for governor of California, provided you have not served two terms as California's governor since Nov. 6, 1990. So former Gov. Pete Wilson can't run.

Is this California's first recall effort?

Davis is the first California governor to face a recall vote, but for the past 30 years, every California governor has been confronted with recall efforts. Since the 1911 law was passed that created the recall mechanism, 31 recall efforts have been launched against California governors.

Has a governor ever been recalled?

Yes, just one. North Dakota Gov. Lynn J. Frazier was recalled in 1921.

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