CA Recall: List Of Write-In Candidates Released

CALIFORNIA — As it turns out, Californians won't be able to jot down just any name on the gubernatorial ballot for the upcoming election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom. The state this week released an official list of certified candidates that voters will be able to write in, any other written names will not be counted.

The list of seven names, released Friday, includes two Democrats, one Republican and three others with no party designation, according to Secretary of State Shirley Weber's office. None of the candidates are prominent or well-known.

Most registered voters in California have already received their ballot ahead of the Sept. 14 election day, although the list of officiated write-in candidates was only just recently released. Some 5.7 million ballots — or 26 percent of registered voters — have already been returned, according to Political Data Inc. More than 22 million ballots were sent out to registered voters.

The names released by the secretary of state's office who do not have a ballot designation are as follows:

• Roxanne, Democrat
• Stacy Smith, Democrat
• Major Williams, Republican
• Thuy E. Hugens, American indepedant
• Miki Habryn, no party preference
• Vince Lundgren, no party preference
• Vivek B. Mohan, no party preference

While there are a handful of Republican hopefuls who have excited voters, most Democrats are still standing solely behind Newsom, despite a few lesser-known Democrats who will appear on the ballot.

READ MORE: CA Recall Voter Guide: Who's In And What To Expect

Democrats are also urging voters to leave blank question 2 — where voters can select a replacement candidate — amid a lawsuit and allegations that California's recall process is flawed.
Ballots have already hit mailboxes across the Golden State, with voters already deciding Newsom's fate ahead of election day.

The Sept. 14 race will likely be a contest between the GOP's unofficial front-runner Elder and Newsom. The governor has seen some hopeful signs in recent surveys, indicating that he may keep his post after all.

An Aug. 28 poll from SurveyUSA and the San Diego Union-Tribune found that 51 percent of 1,250 respondents would vote against recalling Newsom, while 43 percent would vote him out.

Those figures are a dramatic shift from the pollster's Aug. 4 poll, which found that that 51 percent of respondents would vote to recall him, and 40 percent would keep him in office.

READ MORE: Newsom Sees Path To Victory In New Election Poll

Newsom has pushed back against the effort to unseat him, arguing that the campaign was one backed by extremists, supporters of former President Donald Trump and those against the coronavirus vaccines.

"This is — and forgive me — a Republican-backed recall where the principal proponent of the recall effort wants to microchip immigrants," Newsom has said. "These folks don't believe in science let alone climate science, and they don't believe in the science behind this pandemic. There's a lot at stake for Californians in this race."

What Is A Recall?

It may feel unprecedented, but this is not the first time a recall of a California governor has been attempted. There have been 55 recall attempts since 1913; just two of them actually qualified for the ballot: the recall of former Gov. Gray Davis and now of Newsom.

The only successful recall attempt in state history unseated Davis in 2003 and replaced him with "The Terminator" star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who served as the state's 38th governor until 2011. It was the last time a Republican was governor in California.

California has had recall elections as part of its political system since 1911. The process allowed the public to attempt to remove an elected public official from office before the end of his or her term. Before a recall election can be initiated, a certain number of voters must sign a recall petition within a specified amount of time.

Read more about California's gubernatorial recall election:

• The Replacement Election In The Recall Is Unnecessary; Here's Why
• Recall Puts Elections Chief In Political Pickle
• Recall Fact And Fiction: What You Need To Know About The Election Fraud Rumors You're Seeing
• Newsom Leads Ad Spending In CA Recall
• Newsom Vs. Elder Standoff Intensifies
• If Newsom Is Recalled, How Would A Republican Governor Get Anything Done?
• Larry Elder Faces Claims Of Abuse, Financial Misrepresentation
• Newsom Recall: Could 1-And-Done Strategy Backfire?