Proposition 5 Would Remove the Recall Ballot’s Replacement Question in California

Overview

• Proposition 5 would eliminate the current two-question recall ballot that asks both whether to remove an official and who should replace them, so voters would only decide whether to recall an officeholder.
• Under the measure, recalled state lawmakers would be replaced by a special election called by the governor within about four months, while recalled statewide officers would be appointed by the governor to serve until the next scheduled election.
• If a governor is recalled, the secretary of state would call a special election if the vacancy occurs in the first two years of the term and the lieutenant governor would finish the term if it occurs in the second two years.
• The amendment was authored by former state senator Josh Newman and backed by Democratic lawmakers, the secretary of state, Common Cause and the League of Women Voters, while Republicans and recall advocates say it would weaken voter control and create months-long gaps in representation.
• Supporters argue the change would curb chaotic, signature-driven recalls like 2003’s Gray Davis race and the 2021 Newsom effort, but critics point to the roughly $200 million cost of the 2021 election and warn that separate follow-up contests could raise costs and leave communities unrepresented.