Voting in Sep. 14 California Recall on Gavin Newsom Begins in Mid-August

Voting in the Sep. 14 California recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom will begin nearly a month before the actual Election Day, as county officials will start mailing out ballots as early as August 16, two weeks from Tuesday.

The San Diego Union-Tribune notes that the local registrar there expects high turnout of about 70 percent, and notes that ballots will be sent to every registered voter on the rolls, rather than every voter who requests a mail-in ballot.

Senate Bill 29, passed by Democrats in the California legislature at the height of the pandemic, governs every election “proclaimed or conducted prior to January 1, 2022,” requiring mail-in ballots to be sent to all registered voters.

Republicans worry that Democrats will use California’s unique system of “ballot harvesting,” in which unvetted party operatives are allowed to return unlimited mail-in ballots belonging to other people, without additional verification.

However, Republicans did manage to overcome that system to take back several congressional seats in 2020, largely by developing their own system of drop boxes, which Democrats tried to stop but followed the letter of the state law.

The Union-Tribune adds:

First, some basics on the election: Newsom would be removed from office if a simple majority — more than 50 percent — of voters approves his recall. If fewer than 50 percent vote in favor of the recall, Newsom would remain as governor.

The ballot also will include a list of replacement candidates in randomized alphabetic order.