Prop 5 Could Change How California Recalls Work. Here's What You Need to Know Before November

California’s recall process is about to get a makeover if voters say yes to Proposition 5 in November. Right now, when enough people sign a petition to recall an elected official, the ballot does two things at once: it asks if you want them removed, and it lets you vote for their replacement. All on the same day. Prop 5 would change that by stripping the ballot down to one question: should this person be recalled, yes or no? The replacement would be determined later through either a gubernatorial appointment or a separate special election, depending on the office.

The push for this comes from Josh Newman, a Democrat and former state senator from Orange County who was recalled in 2018 over a controversial gas tax vote. Newman makes an interesting argument: the math in the current system is broken. When his recall succeeded, his replacement won with only 34% of the vote, even though Newman himself retained 42% voter support. Yet Newman came back in 2020 and won re-election with a clear majority. Constitutional law experts, including UC Berkeley Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, agree the current system violates the one-person-one-vote principle because a successor can technically win with fewer votes than the recalled official received. Supporters of Prop 5 say this would prevent recalls from becoming political weapons used for power grabs rather than actually removing unfit or corrupt officials.

But opponents aren’t convinced. Election integrity advocates argue that Prop 5 is undemocratic because it would allow unelected officials to temporarily hold office, potentially for extended periods. They also question whether the cost savings from fewer recalls would actually materialize, or whether special elections would end up costing more. The 2021 Newsom recall, which failed, cost California $276 million, so the money question matters to taxpayers. As November approaches, Sacramento voters will need to decide: does Prop 5 fix a broken system, or does it make it harder for everyday people to hold their leaders accountable? What’s your take on how recalls should work?