Newsom recall election will proceed, state says
SACRAMENTO — Only 43 voters who signed the petition to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom withdrew their names over the past few months, far fewer than opponents of the election would have needed to prevent it from taking place.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber confirmed Wednesday that recall organizers still had enough support to move forward with a special election this year on whether to remove Newsom from office before his term ends in 2023.
In a letter, she notified the state Department of Finance to begin its analysis of the cost of the election, which must take place before a date can be set for the vote.
“The proponents of the recall effort against Governor Gavin Newsom have submitted a sufficient number of valid signatures to initiate a recall election,” she wrote.
Recall organizers submitted their petitions in the spring, but California law gave voters another 30 business days to let their local election officials know if they wanted to withdraw their signatures.
An independent group led by former state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata briefly launched a campaign dubbed “Stop the Steal” to reach those voters, though it gave up after struggling to raise money or identify people who supported the recall. The names of voters who signed the petition is private.
The final number of valid signatures for the recall is 1,719,000, according to the Secretary of State’s Office, about 224,000 more than organizers needed to qualify.
The Department of Finance
now has 30 business days to complete its financial analysis, which includes the cost of verifying signatures, printing ballots and voter guides, and operating polling places. Then, lawmakers will have 30 days to review and comment on that estimate, before
Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis sets the election date.
It must take place between 60 and 80 days from when she makes that decision.
Legislative leaders have already indicated they plan to waive their review period, an effort to speed up the recall election that Democrats believe could benefit Newsom while his approval ratings remain high.
That means the election is likely to take place some time between the end of August and late November, though local election officials have asked that it be no sooner than Sept. 14 so they have sufficient time to prepare.