Why does California vote to see if the governor has been removed from office?

The referendum was to dismiss the Democratic governor of CaliforniaGavin Newsom, it’s today. Nearly 8 million ballot papers have been mailed – the preferred form of voting for most voters California – Already delivered, out of a total of 22 million shipped.

Republicans are eager to surprise in this heavily Democratic state, where no Republican governor has been elected since 2006.

ewsom defended his performance in office and denounced that main Republican opponent Larry Elder, a right-leaning radio host, was violating the progressive values ​​of the state.

The popular consultation is closely watched as it may herald the 2022 national legislative elections.

How did the initiative to hold a recall referendum come about? California? The Associated Press explains:

What is the referendum to withdraw confidence?

California is one of 20 states that have the possibility to revoke their governor’s mandate, 19 of which are through popular consultation. The law, which dates back to 1911, was designed to empower the people by allowing them to revoke the mandate of elected officials and pass or repeal laws by referendum.

Proposals to impeach officials are common in the state, but they rarely get the ballot, and more often than not, they succeed. The only time the California governor was removed by impeachment referendum was in 2003, when Democrat Gray Davis was recalled and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected in his place.

In August, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that sought to block the referendum, claiming it would violate the constitution, as it creates a situation in which the governor could lose counsel despite receiving more votes than the main opposition candidate.

Why was an impeachment referendum called?

There is a simple and complex answer.

Simplicity: Californians were angry about pandemic. The authorities have issued stay-at-home orders, closing businesses and suspending classes in schools. For many people, the daily routine was disturbing: it was forbidden to go to the beach or go to Taqueria on the corner.

The complex answer: In a country of about 40 million people, complaints abound, including high taxes and water rationing due to drought, the homeless crisis and violent wildfires. As a conservative, Newsom falls victim to this resentment.

Regardless, he is reeling from the fallout from a multi-million dollar fraud scandal at the state unemployment aid agency, and has come under fire for attending a dinner at a luxury restaurant while ordering residents to stay home due to the pandemic.

How does counseling work?

The voter receives a ballot paper with two questions: whether Newsom He should be removed from office and, if so, who should replace him, from a list of 46 candidates.

If the majority votes to remove Newsom from office, the governor becomes the candidate with the most votes in question two. Since there are too many candidates, there is a chance that the candidate with the most votes will win 25% or less of the popular support.

According to Politik Data Inc, a company that collects voter data, about 8 million mail-in ballot papers have already been delivered, which so far means a turnout of 35%. Voting continues every Tuesday.

To date, the elderly participate in a large number of ways as usual, while the attendance of young people is rare.

Who are the other candidates?

There are 46 Candidates to replace NewsomAlthough Doug Aussie, a former congressman, withdrew for health reasons after the ballot paper was printed. There are 24 Republican candidates among them, in addition to Elder, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer; businessman John Cox (who was defeated by Newsom in 2018); Reality TV star and former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner and local legislator Kevin Kelly.

In addition, there are nine Democrats, 10 Independents, and two Greens and Libertarians. No democrat has a recognized political record. The most famous of these is real estate agent and YouTube personality Kevin Pavrath. Most of the candidates are unknown and have not campaigned many.

What did the candidates promise?

Elder, who leads in the polls among the candidates, promised reforms and common sense governance. He has said he will immediately lift obligations to wear a mask and get a Covid vaccine.

Kelly promised to end The state of emergency in effect due to the pandemic, which would automatically cancel all state and local health prevention measures.

Faulkner proposed abolishing income tax for all individuals whose income is less than $50,000 a year and for all families whose income is less than $100,000 a year, to ease the economic pressure on the middle class.

Cox campaigned with a huge bear, which he said was a symbol of the “brutal reforms” the country needed, and promised to implement a massive tax cut.

Jenner got a lot of media attention when I proposed to her nominationBut he ran a low-profile campaign, and according to opinion polls, he has little support.

What does Newsom think of the referendum?

The Democratic governor initially sidestepped questions about the initiative, stating that it focused on fighting the pandemic, encouraging people to get vaccinated and preparing for the possibility of schools reopening. In March, he launched a fierce campaign against counseling and giving interviews on major television channels.

The main anti-referendum committee had raised nearly $70 million by the end of August.

Newsom, who was overwhelmingly elected in 2018, acknowledged that many people are dazed and tired after a year of health restrictions. In recent days, he has defended his decisions during the pandemic — arguing that his actions have saved thousands of lives — and warned that a Republican victory would conflict with the country’s liberal and progressive values ​​and could have repercussions nationally.

The Democrats They denounced that the campaign against Newsom is being orchestrated by the far right and supporters of former President Donald Trump. The impeachment campaign is being led by Republicans at the state and national levels, but officials say they have a broad coalition that includes Democrats and independents.

in the last days Newsom He targeted the sheikh, calling him more extremist than Trump. Elder dismisses the allegations as an attempt to divert attention from Newsom’s performance in areas such as crime control, homeless service, and epidemic control.

The current governor has spent most of 2020 on the defensive. Benefited from a large budget surplus that allowed him to tour government advertising social programs, including a $12 billion program to help the homeless; Another provides checks of up to $1,100 to millions of people economically affected by the pandemic and 2,700 million to an initiative that will provide school care for all children under 4 years old.

How serious is Newsom’s situation?

In the worst of the epidemic, support Newsom It collapsed amid closing schools and businesses and being forced to wear a mask.

Earlier this year, the economic reopening and good budgetary condition helped Newsom. However, by the time of the full economic reopening on June 15, cases of the virus were on the ground and since then have been increasing, especially among the unvaccinated population.

Los Angeles County, where a quarter of the state’s population lives, has imposed a mask-wearing obligation indoors, including for those who have been vaccinated. California has also required children to wear a mask in schools. That could hurt Newsom, especially among those who say it didn’t do enough to reopen schools last year.

However, the latest polls indicate that Newsom is well positioned to retain the position. He has certain advantages over his Republican rivals: There are nearly twice as many Democrats as Republicans in the state, and the party controls all public office in the state, the legislature, and the congressional delegation in Washington. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama have all made calls for no-confidence calls.

Read also Joe Biden orders vaccination expansion amid US Covid-19 crisis

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