Update: Gavin Newsom has a recall election date. Here’s what you need to know

UPDATE: July 1 - Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis on Thursday announced that the recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom will be held on Sept. 14, giving Californians their first opportunity to remove the top state official in almost two decades.

The election is the result of a huge petition-signing effort led, in part, by a retired Yolo County Sheriff’s Sergeant and what he calls a massive, grassroots effort to unseat the Democrat. Recall petitioners had myriad reasons for wanting the governor ousted, but many expressed dismay at his handling of the pandemic, the shutdown of businesses, and his own ill-fated dinner at the swanky French Laundry last fall.

The last time California voters faced such a choice was in 2003, when voters ousted Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and replaced him with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The threshold for running in a recall race is relatively low compared to a regular election, which means Californians could have dozens of candidates to choose from on the ballot.

Here’s what happens next:

How do I vote?

All active, registered California voters will receive a mail ballot, thanks to a measure passed by the Legislature earlier this year, which extended COVID-19 voting precautions through the end of the year.

Counties will begin to mail ballots approximately 29 days before Election Day, according to the Secretary of State, which should be around mid-August.

Unlike a normal candidate election, a recall will include two questions. The first will ask the voter whether Newsom should be recalled. The second will ask who he should be replaced with. If more than 50% of voters choose to recall Newsom on question one, the replacement candidate with the most votes in question two will finish out Newsom’s term, which ends in 2023.

When will we know who’s running?

Candidates must file no later than 60 days before election date, in this case, July 16.

A number of Republicans have announced intentions to run, including former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, 2018 candidate and businessman John Cox, former GOP Rep. Doug Ose, and celebrity Caitlyn Jenner.

No high-profile Democrats have announced plans to run in the recall. Dozens of other people have said they plan to run, including include Jenny Rae Le Roux, a Redding businesswoman, Grover Coltharp, a Roseville insurance broker, and Sam Gallucci, a former tech entrepreneur who helped launch PeopleSoft, but now works as a pastor helping at-risk Californians and immigrants through his Oxnard ministry.

Candidates will have to submit nomination papers, with 65 to 100 valid nomination signatures, pay a filing fee of $4,194.94 (or show 7,000 valid signatures) and submit five years worth of tax returns.

How much is this going to cost?

$276 million, according to estimates from the Department of Finance.

Counties are asking $243 million from the state, and the rest will go to the Secretary of State’s office to conduct the election.

What’s going to happen to Newsom?

County elections officials have 30 days after the election to complete the official canvass, according to the Secretary of State. On the 38th day after the election, if the recall is successful, the Secretary of State will certify the election results and the new Governor would take the oath of office and assume the position.

But recent polling suggests the governor has a good chance of surviving the recall election.

The latest poll, a May survey from the Public Policy Institute of California, found nearly six in ten likely voters say they would vote to keep Newsom in office.

Political watchers point out that, while California has removed a governor in the past, conditions are much better for Newsom today than they were for Davis in 2003. Higher approval ratings, a strong Democratic majority, and a positive outlook following the pandemic could all spell success for the current governor.

Still, there are unknowns. With wildfire season approaching and incidents of the Delta COVID-19 variant increasing, some warn that Newsom could face trouble at the recall ballot if the state faces another disaster.

This story was originally published April 26, 2021 at 3:38 PM.