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Stop the California Recall in 60 Seconds: Action of the Week

News & Analysis
by
People For Staff

Welcome to People For’s Action of the Week, where we give you one thing you can do to protect our democracy each week. This week, we’re asking you to help us get out the vote to STOP the California recall of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom! Keep reading to learn more about how you can get involved before the election's final day on September 14.

The Issue: Far-right forces in California are leading the effort to recall its Democratic and justly elected governor

This recall effort is powered by the same Republican forces that still refuse to accept the results of the presidential election in 2020, and are pushing voter suppression efforts in statehouse after statehouse across the country. Which is not surprising, because the recall process is pretty undemocratic.

Here’s how it works: The ballot is broken down into two questions: "Should Gavin Newsom remain governor?" and then voters can pick one of 46 candidates to replace Newsom.

Because of the way the ballot is set up, it’s totally plausible that five million people could vote to keep Newsom - but if five million and 1 vote to recall him, whoever got the most votes in the second question - even if they got millions fewer votes than Newsom did to remain governor - would automatically become governor, tossing aside the votes of millions of people.

Whether Newsom will remain governor past mid-autumn is still seriously in question. And what's at stake in the recall goes far beyond California - in fact, it could have a major impact on all of us.

If California gets a new governor, that person could have a chance to appoint a U.S. senator should California Senator Dianne Feinstein, who is 88 years old, leave office before her term ends in 2024. And with our current narrow 50-50 split in the Senate, that could put Mitch McConnell back in charge if a Republican governor is seated in the governor's mansion this fall.

The Republican frontrunner of those 46 candidates is currently radical right-wing talk show host Larry Elder, who our Right Wing Watch program has had their eye on for years.

Elder has defended a zero dollar minimum wage, written that women “know less than men about political issues, economics, and current events,” defended employers who discriminate against pregnant women, and even claimed that police are more likely to shoot white people than Black people. We cannot let this extremist far-right pawn control not only the future of California, our largest and most progressive state, but also the future of our country.

The Action: Get out the vote against the California recall!

If you are a California resident and haven't yet returned your ballot, make sure you do so before 8 PM on Tuesday, September 14!

Because time is running short, we need everyone to get involved in getting out the vote in California to say NO to the recall. There are dozens of phone and text-banking opportunities happening both in California and nationwide over the next few days, and we need your help.

Sign up today for a virtual phone or text bank to urge Californians to vote NO on the recall of Gov. Newsom! >>