Each month in the Artists for Democracy newsletter, we share actions that you as an artist can take to help strengthen our democracy as well as legislation in the works. We also profile an artist whose work reflects democratic values. This month’s edition is dedicated to California’s gubernatorial recall election.
ACTION ITEM
VOTE NO in the California recall election
We’re not going to mince words here: if you are eligible to vote in California and care about the future of democracy in America, you need to
vote in the gubernatorial recall election
by September 14
and you need to VOTE NO
This recall attempt has roots in Trumpist extremist groups but has been mainstreamed by the Republican Party. It’s not popular with Californians. Signatures from only 12% of voters were needed to put the recall on the ballot, but 69% of all likely voters say it’s a waste of money. Surveys find the group most enthusiastic about the recall are conservative White voters.
If Governor Gavin Newsom is removed from office, he’ll most likely be replaced by a Republican. If anything happens to 88 year-old Senator Diane Feinstein while that governor is in office, they will name a Republican replacement. This could tip the balance in the Senate. This is why you need to VOTE NO.
The cost of this special election has been estimated to be at least $276 million and could run as high as $400 million. That’s money that could be spent on schools, services for the homeless, firefighters, or expansion of broadband services. Republicans should be ashamed of themselves for wasting public resources at this scale in the middle of a pandemic.
What’s more, Governor Newsom is already up for re-election in 2022. If the Republicans want to get him out of office, they could do it fair and square next year. This special election means that you need to vote twice for governor—first in the recall by September 14, and then again in the regularly scheduled primary election only nine months later.
Don't kid yourself that this means the recall is not dangerous for California. With the COVID Delta variant, drought, wildfires, and the housing crisis all raging, an unfit right-wing extremist governor could wreak havoc and quickly turn us into Texas or Florida.
So why are Republicans wasting taxpayer money and time on this recall? Because they simply can’t win a regular statewide election. Their deplorable anti-immigrant Proposition 187 campaign in the early 1990s broke the GOP in California. But the crazy way that recall elections are run here means that if more than half the people who show up vote “yes” to recall, then whoever gets the largest number of votes to replace him becomes governor, even if that person gets less than half the votes. Republicans think it will work because many voters only show up for the presidential race like in 2020 and typically don’t vote in special elections like this one.
Let’s be super-clear here: if only 50.00001% of the voters who send in their ballots vote to recall Governor Newsom, a person who gets only 20% of the votes to replace him could become governor. That’s not majority rule. If you think that sounds crazy—you’re right! It may even be unconstitutional, but it’s how the process works.
When they recalled Governor Gray Davis, in 2003, 44.6% of folks who turned out voted to keep Davis in office, and only 48.6% of them voted for Arnold Schwarzenegger to replace him.
Here’s another way to look at it: Out of all 15.3 million registered voters in the state,
Only 61.2% voted in the recall election
Only 32.4% voted “yes” to recall the governor
Only 27.3% voted for Schwarzenegger to replace him
Even though Schwarzenegger didn’t get a majority of votes cast to replace Davis, he still became our disastrous minority governor. (If you don’t remember how bad Schwarzenegger was, this article lays out how he cut billions of dollars for AIDS prevention, battered women’s services, health care for poor kids, drug treatment for pregnant women, and rental subsidies for struggling seniors in order to give tax cuts to big business, all while raising tuition for UC and Cal State students.)
In other words, the Republican Party is using the tools of electoral democracy to undermine the will of the voters. If it works here in California, they’ll do it every time an election doesn’t go their way.
But the flip side is this: when we all show up and VOTE NO, we will stop the recall in its tracks. We’ll put Republicans on notice not to mess with voting rights in California.
Even if you’re not a fan of Governor Newsom, there’s much more at stake here. VOTE NO to keep him today, then campaign for your candidate of choice next year. All the alternatives on the ballot this time are much worse.
As Courage California says, for many Republicans, the recall election isn’t about solving problems or making life better for Californians, but about building momentum for the 2022 midterms. “Republicans, white supremacists, and extremists are using the recall election as a platform to promote a racist, xenophobic, and anti-justice agenda.”
The California ACLU describes the recall as, “an attack on people’s civil rights and liberties, including immigrants’ rights, gender equity, racial justice and LGBTQ rights.”
If you don’t vote in this election, then your vote won’t count and your voice won’t be heard. California needs you. Democracy needs you. VOTE NO by September 14.
HOW TO VOTE NO IN THE RECALL
Ballots are already on their way to every registered voter in California. There are TWO PARTS on your ballot:
Part 1: Shall GAVIN NEWSOM be recalled (removed) from the office of Governor?
VOTE NO
Part 2: A ridiculously long list of unqualified candidates to replace him.
LEAVE THIS BLANK
You do not have to answer every question on the ballot, and there is no good candidate on that list.
SIGN, DATE, AND SEAL your ballot. ←←← Don’t forget this step!
SEND IN YOUR BALLOT through the mail, secure drop box, or voting center (find your voting locations here). You can vote in person, but there will be fewer voting locations because this is a special election.
Make sure to send in your ballot before the September 14 deadline.
If you’re not yet registered, you have until August 30. Register to vote here. California does have same-day voter registration, but it’s much easier if you don’t wait.
Read more about the nuts and bolts of the recall at CalMatters.
Then talk to all your California friends and family, and spread the word on social media. You don’t have to convince your Republican uncle to change his mind. You just have to convince the people who already agree with you to show up. VOTE NO BY SEPTEMBER 14.
MORE ARTISTS FOR DEMOCRACY
Twenty California artists explain why they are voting NO in the recall election
The recall is a petty waste of time, energy, attention, and money when we have real problems to solve in California.
I’m voting NO on the recall because I think Governor Newsom is doing a good job, the recall is politically motivated, and it dangerously takes the Governor’s attention away from addressing the very real challenges Californians are facing.
Governor Newson has done nothing wrong to be recalled. This is another attempted coup by the Republican Party to undermine our democracy.
Unlike many other governors, Newsom continues to provide thoughtful and responsive leadership during the pandemic. He has also made advances on issues that are important to me including minimum wage increases, education funding, and reproductive freedom.
I'm voting NO in the recall to keep California blue and protect democracy from the immoral GOP.
I’m voting NO because this recall is an attempt by Republicans to get a Republican into office with a small number of votes. Imagine trying to get through this pandemic or the climate crisis under a far-right Republican governor. No thank you! Want a greener future? VOTE NO! Want universal healthcare in California? VOTE NO! Don’t sit this one out and let this be another 2016 Presidential election. Our votes can keep California on the path to a more progressive future!
Gavin Newsom is a far better governor than anyone that Republicans might select, so let him do the job I already elected him to do!
Yo apoyo a Newsom porque él está a favor de la vacunación contra COVID-19, y esta protege a la comunidad Latinx. (I support Newsom because he’s in favor of the COVID-19 vaccine, and this protects the Latinx community.)
I am voting NO in the recall because the process is a fundamentally undemocratic tool used by the GOP to undermine the will of the voters. The incumbent can get the largest share of votes and still be removed from office—if Newsom gets 49% of the vote via “no recall” votes, he can still lose to the top challenger even if that person only gets 29% of the votes. As Joe Biden would say, “Come on, man.”
I'm voting against the recall because I refuse to sabotage our state government which has an unprecedented surplus right now!
—Bill Markus
Ted Cruz literally flew to Cancun when Texas froze over—why are we going to recall Gavin Newsom for eating at The French Laundry? Gavin might not be perfect, but he doesn't deserve a recall and we can't risk a GOP takeover.
The only reasonable option is to VOTE NO in the September 14 California gubernatorial recall election. Republicans are organizing heavily to get out the vote for the recall, and if we can’t get a majority to oppose it, we will end up with some slimebag in Sacramento. This recall is a shit-disturbing stunt by the far right that could end up transforming California if the Dems don’t get it together. I’m voting no, I’m telling everyone I know to vote no, and I’m asking you politely to please vote no and to politely ask your friends to also vote no. Thank you.
Is there anything more Karen than a recall election?
I am obviously voting NO on the recall of Governor Newsom because there is a strong chance, given the nature of recall elections, that we could wind up with a Republican/Fascist for governor. I left the South because of Republican politicians and politics and I have no desire to live in a state where the governor will implement anti-democractic and fascist policies further meant to disenfranchise the already disenfranchised. I am voting NO because fuck the Republican Party and everything they stand for.
The governor hasn't done anything that warrants a recall. It will cost us taxpayers $276 million at a time when we're still in a pandemic. It's frivolous and disingenuous.
I am disappointed that my first vote as a U.S. citizen will be because of this anti-democratic loophole and waste of public money. I will be voting NO to the recall.
—Paul Huckerby
Just imagine the nightmare of our duly elected governor being recalled and replaced by a YouTuber, conservative talk show host, or reality TV show B-lister with zero experience. Imagine a Republican ban on masks, policies to loosen environmental protections, or efforts to weaken our healthcare system in the middle of the worst environmental and health crisis our state has ever known. Imagine the chaos and calamity of a conservative nincompoop who’s never served in government, elected by just a fraction of the vote, taking the wheel in the middle of a full blown catastrophe. What a total and complete nightmare, please VOTE NO on the recall and tell everyone you know to make sure to VOTE NO too!!!!
I’m voting NO on the recall because I want my governor to keep the ship afloat rather than sending us down the rapids.
I’m voting NO because the recall election is yet another ugly attempt at voter suppression. The Republicans can’t win fairly, so they are trying to abuse the system to sneak into office. A joke candidate is not so funny when they are running the fifth-largest economy in the world.
My reason is simple: I am voting NO on the recall to stop Trump Republicans from seizing control of California.
Need more convincing about how important it is to show up and VOTE NO in the recall election? Join performance artist Kristina Wong and Artists 4 Democracy on Thursday, September 9 at 7 pm on Zoom to learn more. Register here for updates and reminders about Wong’s talk.
Thanks for reading the Artists 4 Democracy Newsletter. Artists 4 Democracy promotes democratic and civic engagement by mobilizing artists to get involved in political action. Through voter registration drives, fundraisers, and events we seek to foster and protect our participatory democracy. In 2021, we’re focused on building a better American democracy, one centered on racial, social, and environmental justice.