Larry Elder Ignites Voter Fraud Initiative Ahead Of Election

CALIFORNIA — Conservative talk show host Larry Elder may be the Republican party's unofficial front runner in the gubernatorial recall election to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom from office, but he's already formed a possible plan to fight the results should he lose on Tuesday.

This week, Elder launched a "Fight California Election Fraud" website, just days before the votes would be counted in the state. A link on his campaign website takes voters to a form where they can sign a petition to investigate the "twisted" results of the gubernatorial election before votes were officially cast. The website also invites users to report incidents of voter fraud.

On Wednesday, the GOP candidate suggested to reporters that he anticipated "shenanigans" in the recall election's final days and was already drawing comparisons to the 2020 presidential election, in which former president Donald Trump claimed that he was fraudulently voted out. There hasn't been any significant evidence of widespread voter fraud in that election, officials have confirmed.

" We trust in our elected officials to safeguard that ballot box, such that its results will truly reflect our will as Californian’s (sic)," Elder's website says. "However, when those officials, either through laziness or incompetence, allow thieves to steal amidst the dead of night and cheat our ballot box, we can no longer rely on its contents. Will we now have to fight the California jury box, in the hope that the final box — the one most akin to Pandora’s – remains closed?"

More than 7.7 million ballots have already been returned in California, with 14 million mail-in ballots remaining, according to Saturday numbers from Political Data Inc. Most registered voters in California have already received their ballot in the mail ahead of election day, but voters will still be able to vote in person on Tuesday.

Campaign efforts for both Newsom and his opponents have ramped up in recent days. Newsom's campaign confirmed this week that president Joe Biden will appear together in Long Beach for the campaign's final rally against the recall, which Newsom has dubbed a Republican recall.

Newsom also campaigned with Vice President Kamala Harris in Northern California earlier in the week.

Elder decried the federal support for Newsom.

"If Gavin Newsom thinks that flying in Joe Biden and Kamala Harris — not exactly the most admired government officials at the present time — will make him look better, that's all you need to know about how oblivious and detached Newsom is from a large majority of Californians."

The recall contest, which comes to a head on Tuesday, pits 45 candidates against Newsom, including 23 Republicans, nine Democrats and 13 others of alternate or no party preference. That group shrank from 46 total candidates after former U.S. Rep. Doug Ose (R) withdrew his bid for governor after having a heart attack.

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:

• California Recall Fueled By A Dinner, A Ruling On Same Day
• Larry Elder Faces Claims Of Abuse, Financial Misrepresentation
• CA Recall: Newsom Lambasts Elder On Campaign Trail
• Lawsuit Argues California Recall Is Unconstitutional
• California Republicans Skip Recall Candidate Endorsement
• Inside Larry Elder's Focus On Race
• Newsom Recall Election Officially Happening: What To Know
• A Serious Man: Can Kevin Faulconer Run For Governor Without The Gimmicks?
• Follow The Money: Gavin Newsom Recall Edition
• Total Recall: An Illustrated Guide To The Newsom Recall