Posted on 08/12/2003 9:01:40 AM PDT by .cnI redruM
Understanding the California Recall
There's plenty of confusion about the special rules and weird circumstances of the recall election. The more people who understand what's going on, the better. Here's our attempt to clear up a few things.
Getting the Recall on the Ballot
More than one million registered voters signed a petition to recall Governor Gray Davis. That was more than 12 percent of the number that voted in last year's gubernatorial election – the number needed to put the recall on the ballot. So, on October 7, California will vote on whether to recall Davis.
What Exactly Are We Voting On?
There are two separate questions that will be on the ballot.
Question One: Shall Gray Davis be recalled as governor?
This question is asking whether Californians want to remove Gray Davis from office. If more people say “YES” than say “NO,” Davis will no longer be governor. But if more people say “NO,” he will keep his job.
Everyone gets to vote on this section of the ballot.
Question Two: If Gray Davis is recalled as governor, who shall replace him?
This question asks voters to select a replacement candidate to become governor if Davis gets recalled.
Everyone gets to vote on this section of the ballot, too. That means even if you vote “NO” on the recall, you still have a say in who becomes governor if the recall succeeds.
If Davis is recalled, then the replacement candidate who gets the most votes will become governor. There is no runoff. That means that a candidate could win with less than 50 percent of the vote. For example, if Arianna gets 35 percent of the vote, but nobody else gets more than 34 percent, she would win.
Is the Recall a Good Thing or a Bad Thing?
Well, it' s a mixed bag.
On the one hand, the recall petition was initiated and funded by right-wingers who were just sore about losing the election to Davis last year. Everyone knows that the majority of Californians are upset with Davis because he' s too conservative. But these Republicans are trying to use that popular dissatisfaction to put someone even more conservative in the governor's chair.
On the other hand, the special circumstances of the recall give progressives and liberals a unique opportunity to elect a governor we can actually stand behind and believe in.
A candidate can become governor without winning a majority of votes. Hundreds of people are taking their shot, putting their hats in the ring. Most of the candidates with any real chance are Republicans and conservatives, like Bill Simon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Tom McClintock.
Meanwhile, the Democrats are confused over whether to stay with Davis or back an alternative. The strength of Cruz Bustamante's candidacy, as an established Democratic politician, is uncertain at this point.
That means the field so far is open for a progressive candidate like Arianna. With the GOP and Democrats splitting the votes multiple ways, a true progressive, even an independent, could step in and get enough votes to win.
That makes this a tremendous opportunity for all of California. We can win, and change the whole state in the process.
Help us turn a top-down right-wing coup into a bottom-up people' s rescue of the state government. Vote for Arianna Huffington!
I had made my Arianna reply and left the room! Totally missed Ventura, as I say. Sounds like it was a good thing to miss. Jesse "the mind" has lost his, I guess.
No, I sure don't. I wish I did. Maybe JimRob knows it. Might make for some interesting reading.
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