BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A petition asking for the recall of Governor Gavin Newsom has received more than 10,000 signatures from Kern County residents alone and thousands of other signatures throughout the state. Tensions were high for many Californians after a combination of things happened this year according to political analyst Dr. Ivy Cargile.
"I think probably the most current sense of pain that people are feeling is the economic devastation that a lot of our small businesses in California are facing. But really a lot of this response is unfortunately something that the federal government should be dealing with and not necessarily the states. So, it's kind of misdirected," said Cargile.
But what's needed to recall Governor Newsom? According to Article 2 of the California Constitution the minimum number of valid signatures required to qualify the recall is 1,495,709. Which is 12% of the12,464,235 votes casted in favor of the governor in the last election.
The latest report shows more than 400,000 signatures have been submitted to county elections offices throughout the state. As of right now the latest reports show 20 signatures have been verified as valid. According to an official from the California Secretary of State's Office, county elections offices will continue to verify and update reports of verified signatures.
Recall organizers have until mid-March to turn in signatures to county elections officials and counties have until the end of April to verify the signatures. The recall process then has several other steps it must go through but if the recall receives enough signatures to qualify then several state departments estimate the cost of a statewide special election.
"...There's no actual amount yet but based on projections done by the finance committee and the state legislature it looks like it could cost cash strapped California 80 million dollars if not more," said Cargile.
After a 30-day review from the Joint Legislative Budget Committee the Lieutenant Governor is required to call a recall election to be held between 60 - 80 days from the date of certification. Or the recall could be scheduled with a regular statewide election if that election occurred within 180 days from the date of certification.
If the recall makes it to the ballot don’t expect to vote anytime soon. According to Cargile, "At earliest we could be voting in the recall during the fall of 2021 of this upcoming year."
An official from the Secretary of State's office also told 23ABC that official voters should not give out confidential information such as driver’s license or your social security number to anyone gathering signatures. If you see anything suspicious contact the Secretary of State’s Office or the local elections office.
