California voters will decide this November whether to change a century-old feature of the state’s recall election process by separating the removal of an official from the selection of a replacement.
Under current law, a state recall election generally asks voters two questions: whether an elected official should be removed and which replacement candidate should take office if the recall succeeds. Proposition 5 would eliminate the replacement-candidate question from the recall ballot.
If a governor were recalled, the lieutenant governor would become governor under the rules established by the measure. Depending on when the recall occurs, the lieutenant governor could serve until voters choose a new governor at a later statewide election or for the remainder of the term.
For other state offices, a successful recall would create a vacancy that would generally be filled using the existing process for that office. Legislative vacancies typically would require a special election, while vacancies in certain statewide executive and judicial offices could be filled by appointment.
The change would affect only recalls of state officials. It would not rewrite Irvine’s local recall procedures for city officials.
The proposal follows California’s high-profile 2003 and 2021 gubernatorial recall elections. The Legislative Analyst’s Office notes that 135 replacement candidates appeared on the 2003 gubernatorial recall ballot and 46 appeared in 2021. Under Proposition 5, a future recall ballot would focus only on whether the targeted official should remain in office.
The financial effect is uncertain. Removing replacement candidates from a recall ballot could reduce some election costs, but a later special election could create additional expenses. State analysts estimate either savings or costs potentially totaling millions of dollars when a recall occurs, depending on the office and circumstances.
What voters should watch
- Voters would still retain the power to recall state officials; Proposition 5 changes what happens after a successful recall.
- The replacement-candidate question would disappear from the recall ballot.
- A recalled governor would be succeeded by the lieutenant governor under the measure’s rules.
- Other vacancies could require appointments or later special elections, meaning voters might not choose a replacement during the recall itself.
What happens next?
If Proposition 5 passes, future state recall elections would ask voters only whether the targeted official should be removed, with vacancies filled afterward under the new rules. If it fails, California would keep the current two-question recall system.
