Seriously.
How often can you recall an elected official office?
Certainly not the next day, since you’d need to collect about 900,000 signatures, which will take some time.
The California Election Code says:
So I guess there are no restrictions that forbid recalling a Governor who himself got elected in a recall. The requirements for the recall proposal, however, will certainly take some time, especially since replacement candidates “must file the required paperwork no less than 59 days before a scheduled recall election” (from the site I quoted first).
This why a popular recall (as opposed to an impeachment) is such a bad idea. (At least, the way CA sets it up.)
For you see, if Davis is recalled, and a new person is elected, that new person may win by a small minority of voters (the other candidates having received even smaller percentages of the vote).
And so, you now have a new governor elected by a small minority. This is the perfect set up for a new recall. Any major party can easily get enough signatures for a new recall.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Direct democracy can be a good thing. But, in this particular case, there is no meaningful ‘check and balance’ for popular whimsy inherent in direct democracy.
Peace.
Please sign this petition, it recalls my prison sentence.
In the interest of keeping this as a GQ, Schnitte has the correct answer. A newly elected candidate can have a recall initiated as soon as the person takes office.
However, if the recall is unsuccessful, there is a time limit against mounting another recall against Davis. I believe it is six months, but I don’t have the proper cite.
There are some offices (normally small appointed ones) where the person installed can’t be recalled until they have been in office for 90 days.
See today’s (Sunday, 28 September) Doonesbury. There is a form all ready to fill out and send to the Calif. Secy of State for the recall of Arnie should he be elected.
Oh, it might teach them a lesson to have Arnie as governor. And a disastrous term might derail his eventual presidential bid. Yes, I know that the US constitution says, but Time Mag quoted someone as saying that if you think Arnie is going to let a few words scratched on a piece of parchment 215 years ago stop him, you just don’t know Arnie. And indeed Orrin Hatch has begun the process of proposing an amendment changing that provision to citizenship of 20 years standing.
While they are at it, they might reform the electoral college, which is a disaster waiting to happen.
I recall that the current mayor of San Fran, Willie Brown, told the news media that he’d head a recall of whoever wins the recall election, assuming Davis is recalled, of course.
Though, to my eyes, that looks like sour grapes that won’t sit well, no matter what happens. Besides, since those that vote not to recall Davis can still vote for his successor, Cruz Bustamonte would have to really botch it to lose. And I’m going to guess that Brown won’t try to have him recalled.
Orrin Hatch is coming out for immigrant rights?
Don’t presumptions about Mr. Schwarzenegger’s eventual capability as governor, should he get elected, belong in Great Debates? We oughtn’t to assume that his term would necessarily be disastrous.
While we’re at it, let’s also keep discussion of the electoral college out of GQ, too, shall we?
Actually, it will take much fewer signatures to recall Governor Terminator. Your link states:
The significant phrase here is 12% of the votes cast the last time the office was on the ballot.
After the recall election, the last time the office will have been on the ballot will have been the recall election itself.
Most predictions are that the number of votes for this out-of-sync election will be far fewer than the Presidential election of 2002, so 12% of that number will also be much less than 900,000 signatures.
It’d be called by the press: Total Recall.
Ha yuk yuk yuk 
I would think more signatures will be needed for any potential recall as turnout for this election is supposed to be much higher than last November’s election.
How is this unlike any other election in the country? Even in a presidential election, a person MAY win by a small minority of voters.
Of course, most doomsayers about “small number of voters” ignore that the leading candidates are getting a significant amount - although, admittedly, not a majority - of support. Further, if the recall goes through at all, that means that a majority of the people were in favor of it, even if it meant that there was a good chance that their preferred guy didn’t make it into office.
But that’s not the point, SPOOFE. Supposing you effect a recall and the new guy wins with a 20% plurality. It would be a piece of cake for a coalition of his enemies to then start the cycle over and recall him. After all, 80% of voters voted for some other dude.
moriah’s point about checks and balances is a good one; California’s system seems poorly thought out.
I don’t think so. I admit, I have not been following all the news reports too keenly, but I just don’t think this election, as ridiculed and reported on as it is, has the drawing power of a normally scheduled election.
Without looking up cites, I think it is pretty well accepted that off-year elections (the ones for Senators and Representatives when there is not a Presidential election) always draw fewer voters than the Presidential ones. And certainly special elections draw fewer still.
Yes, this is certainly a unique and interesting election, as opposed to most others. But most people don’t really care that much about who the Governor is. Unlike 2002, there are no other choices to draw them, no Senator or Representative or City Council or Most Proposition choices that usually draw people to the polls for an issue or candidate or office that specifically interests or affects them (there are two propositions in this election that have received virtually no publicity or news coverage).
Those that REALLY believe in the recall will turn out, certainly, as will those who particularily favor one of the candidates.
A search on Google turned up this opinion (I don’t really know who this guy is, but at least he agrees with me):
Oooh, I forgot to mention two other reason why this election will draw fewer voters:
One) The polling places are different than usual, and there will be less of them. As many people will have to go to someplace unusual to vote, many will not find their way to the polls.
Two) The recent court decisions that first postponed the election date and then reinstated it 10 days later will also cause fewer votes to be cast. Some people may be confused about the date if they paid attention only to the postponement decision and not the reinstatement decision. The postponement decision came one day before the final day to register in time to vote in this election, and as a result some people who otherwise would have registered on the last day may have put it off, only to now be to late as the original election date has been reinstated.