AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
- Five efforts to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom failed before a sixth petition collected the required number of signatures.
- Only 19 states, including California, allow recall elections.
- US Rep. Karen Bass told ABC News that more than 68 recalls are happening throughout California.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
Less than an hour after polls closed, Insider and Decision Desk HQ projected that Californians overwhelmingly voted against recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom. The speedy outcome left many wondering why the effort to recall public officials is so easy, and if it should be reformed.
Five attempts to recall Newsom failed before a sixth petition, led by retired sheriff’s sergeant Orrin Heatlie and his California Patriot Coalition, collected the required number of signatures and triggered the recall election on July 1.
US Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., told ABC News anchor Linsey Davis that it’s too easy to recall officials in California, citing more than 68 recalls happening throughout the state targeting officials in various levels of government, including school boards, city councils, and district attorneys.
California is one of just 19 states that allow recall elections. Within 60 days, petitioners recalling a California official must collect signatures from 12% of the electorate from the last election, and from at least five counties.
“This could be a strategy to essentially grind government to a halt, to paralyze government,” Bass said. “I’m very interested in analyzing who started all these recalls. Who’s funding them? You can’t just recall someone without significant financial backing.”
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