Staff Blog: The Truth About Recalls

By Michael Bornstein, Executive Director

Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Recall Elections Are Undermining Democracy

Republican activists and wealthy corporate donors are using recall elections to push a rightwing agenda that is dangerous to democracy and disenfranchises low-income voters and people of color.  

Recall elections should be a measure of last resort to remove corrupt or criminal elected officials before the next election. Unfortunately, rightwing extremist and Republican activists are increasingly using recall elections as a political strategy to undermine the will of the majority who voted in the last election. Unlike normal candidate elections, recall elections allow for unlimited political spending unrestricted by local election laws. Furthermore, these special elections have a much lower voter turnout that harms low income and people of color. 

Yes, there are times when a recall election is justified, but it is a process that is in desperate need of reform. The current system is open to abuse by a few large wealthy donors who can force a recall election at any time. To protect the integrity of our democracy all of us must accept the outcomes of elections – even when we disagree with the results. 

Who is funding the school board recall?

Pro-recall committees have raised 46 times more money than the anti-recall campaign, according to Ethics Commission data. The Neighbors PAC gave $238,800 to the school board recall this January. The PAC is funded by a small number of extremely wealthy donors, including billionaires and multi-millionaires Miriam L. Haas, Paul Holden Spaht Jr., and Jason Moment.

A rural Washington school board race shows how far-right extremists are shifting to local power

The establishment candidate thought she was a shoo-in, but she hadn’t contended with the home-schooling, anti-masking member of the far-right Three Percent movement.

The California recall’s warning for democracy

Governor Gavin Newsom will remain in office, but GOP attempts to undermine elections aren’t going anywhere.

Big business goes up against democracy in Seattle

Local corporate interests are trying to recall elected City Council member Kshama Sawant.

Recall election is another assault on Black voters

The same forces pushing Black voter suppression efforts in Georgia, Texas and other states are bankrolling the recall in California.