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Today's your last day to register to vote if you want to vote in the upcoming California recall election.
Election officials say people can register online through the California Secretary of State or Department of Motor Vehicles websites. People who register online must submit their forms electronically by 11:59 p.m. August 30. Paper registration forms that are returned by mail must be postmarked on or before August 30. If you plan on returning your paper form to the Registrar of Voters Office, you must deposit in into the drive-thru dropbox by August 30. All California residents who are U.S. Citizens and will be 18 on or before Election Day are eligible to vote.
The recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom is set for September 14, just fifteen days away. The effort to recall Newsom began after critics took issue with the governor's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown measures he imposed to help stop the spread of the virus. Newsom was also widely criticized for attending a dinner for a lobbyist at a Michelin 3-star restaurant, The French Laundry in Napa Valley, which violated a number of the state's coronavirus restrictions on gatherings indoors.
All 22 million registered California voters will have the chance to vote on the recall by answering two questions:
Question 1: "Shall Gavin Newsom be recalled (removed) from the office of Governor?"
Question 2: "If the governor is recalled, who do you want to replace him?"
Voters are allowed to select a candidate to replace Newsom as Governor, even if they vote 'No' on the recall. If the first question receives less than 50% of the vote, Newsom will finish out the rest of his term and will be eligible to run for reelection in 2022.
If more than 50% of voters choose 'Yes' on the recall question, the candidate with the highest number of votes will replace Newsom for the remainder of his term.
The candidates vying for the chance to replace Newsom include:
- Conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder
- Former Olympian, reality TV star and transgender activist Caitlyn Jenner
- 2018 Republican nominee for governor John Cox
- Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer
- Former congressman Doug Ose
- State Representative Kevin Kiley