EXPLAINER: How California could recall Gov. Gavin Newsom
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California's Sept. 14 recall election could remove first-term Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom from office. Mail-in ballots, the form of voting most Californians use, already have arrived at voters’ homes.
The contest is unfolding as the state sees a surge in coronavirus cases from the delta variant and the return of masks and other mandates and restrictions in many places. There are raging wildfires in Northern California and an unrelenting homeless crisis.
Republicans are hoping for an upset in a heavily Democratic state, where the GOP hasn’t won a statewide election since 2006. The election is being closely watched nationally as a barometer of the public mood heading toward the 2022 elections, when a closely divided Congress again will be in play.
So, how did California arrive at this point? Here are some answers:
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WHAT IS A RECALL ELECTION?
California is one of 20 states that have provisions to recall a sitting governor, 19 through elections. The state law establishing the rules goes back to 1911 and was intended to place more power directly in the hands of voters by allowing them to remove elected officials and repeal or pass laws by placing them on the ballot.
Recall attempts are common in the state, but they rarely get on the ballot and even fewer succeed. The only time a governor was recalled was 2003, when Democrat Gray Davis was removed and voters replaced him with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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WHY IS THERE A RECALL DRIVE AGAINST NEWSOM?
The answer is simple and complicated.
The simple part: Californians grew angry during the pandemic. Whipsaw stay-at-home orders by Newsom, crushing job losses from business closures, shuttered schools and the disruption of daily life soured just about everybody. Many of life’s routines were cut off...
