California voters will have a big decision to make at the ballot box on Tuesday, September 14, 2021. Will they recall Governor Gavin Newsom? If voters say yes, which one of the 45 nobody candidates will replace him? If Democrats stay home, the next governor could win the election with less than 25% of the vote. How should you vote in a (POOP) show like this?
CALIFORNIA RECALL ELECTION 2003
The California recall election of 2003 was a simple affair. Everyone in California hated Governor Gray Davis. The candidates included Arnold Schwarzenegger and 134 nobodies. The yes vote received 55.4% of the vote. Schwarzenegger won with 48.6% of the vote and became the Govinator.
CALIFORNIA RECALL ELECTION 2021
The California recall election of 2021 isn’t a simple affair. Not everyone in California hates Governor Newsom like they hated Governor Davis in 2003. His popularity in the polls corresponds to the frustrations of the COVID-19 pandemic. The candidates include 45 nobodies. The most notable nobodies that are polling includes radio host Larry Elder and YouTube personality Kevin Paffrath. If the Democrats stay home, either of these candidates could become governor.
WRITE-IN THE LT. GOVERNOR
Paul Kronenberg wrote about an excellent idea for CalMatters. Whether you vote yes or no to recall the governor, you can write in a candidate’s name. Everyone should write in the name of Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis. If voters do recall the governor, the lieutenant governor can replace him. Lawmakers should change the recall law to have the lieutenant governor replace the governor.
Why the lieutenant governor?
“Under California’s Constitution, the Lieutenant Governor serves as Acting Governor whenever the Governor is absent from the state, and automatically becomes Governor if a vacancy occurs in the Office of Governor.”
About the Office of Lt. Governor
The lieutenant governor is already qualified to replace a recalled governor. Replacing the lieutenant governor is less of a (POOP) show than the recall for governor.
There is a catch.
Votes for write-in candidates will only count if their name appears on the Secretary of State’s write-in list. Write-in candidates have until August 31, 2021, to qualify their name for the write-in list. The list itself will be publish to the public on Friday, September 3, 2021. If you want to write in Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis’s name, contact her office to encourage her to register for the write-in list.
I’m planning to vote no for the recall because I’m against the (POOP) show. If Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis appears on the write-in list, I’ll vote for her. Or I could write in Tag the Kodiak brown bear.