NO on the Recall; then what?

Lots of friends have asked what to do about the Recall election, in particular what to do about the second question on the ballot. Here's my advice: 

1. Vote NO on the Recall
2. Contact 10 friends and tell THEM to vote NO
3. Campaign Against the Recall

... and only after you've done all of the above does it make sense to spend time thinking about how to vote on the 2nd question on the ballot. 

1. Please vote NO on the recall. 

Governor Gavin Newsom will be a far better Governor for the next 14 months -- until he faces election in November 2022 -- than any of the individuals running to replace him in the recall election. The front-runners in the recall polls are people with NO history of governance. They all would take the state in terrible directions: on COVID, on schools, on climate change, on homelessness, on fires + disaster relief. None of them would be a good or even halfway-decent governor. 

If you need more convincing, check out who opposes the recall or email me directly. 

2. Please contact 10 friends and tell THEM to vote No on the recall. 

This election will be decided by turnout. Special elections almost always have very low turnout.  Many Democrats are tuned out and not voting. Please tell your friends + family to vote. Even if they normally vote, please remind them. 

3. Campaign against the Recall 

• Get a bumper sticker (link to Newsom campaign)
• Get a lawn or window sign (link for Alameda County Democrats)
• Contact 10 more of your friends!
• Sign up to text or call people to oppose the recall (see this list of events)

And hey -- if you've got better suggestions on how to campaign, please post them in the Comments. 

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Ok, once you've done lots all that, then it's time to think about the second part of the ballot. 

First, how does the Recall Election Work?

There are two separate questions that you vote on independently. The first question, on the front side of the ballot, is very simple: Shall Gavin Newsom be recalled (removed) from the office of Governor? 

The back side of the ballot is the second question -- if Governor Newsom is recalled, who would you want as his replacement. You may vote for one candidate. 

If  the state as a whole votes NO on the Recall, Newsom will remain the Governor, and the votes on the second question won't matter. 

But if the state as a whole votes yes on the Recall, then the top vote-getter for question 2 will become the next governor. You may vote for one of the 46 candidates on the ballot, or for a qualified write-in candidate. If you vote for anyone else, it won't be counted. Votes for Governor Newsom won't count -- he's not allowed to be a write-in candidate. Votes for most write-in candidates won't count, because most people you're thinking of aren't qualified write-in candidates. The list of eligible write-in candidates won't exist until Sep 3rd; you can be pretty sure that no viable Democrat will sign up. 

Finally, how am I voting on the Second Question on the Recall Ballot?

I don't know yet. 

The Newsom campaign and Democratic Party says to Leave it blank. I might do that. It's the simplest thing to do. It doesn't require more thought, and it allows me to focus time on defeating the recall (which is a better use of time anyway). 

Many friends are asking, but I'm not going vote for a write-in candidate. Any votes for Newsom, or Eleni Kounalaks (Lt. Gov), or Alex Padilla or Barbara Lee, or just about anybody you're thinking of, won't be counted, 'cuz they're not qualified write-in candidates. No one will know about your protest vote, so it's not an effective protest. When the state finally publishes a list of qualified write-in candidates, I'll put the link here, but I doubt it'll have someone I feel like voting for. 

You can try to vote for the least-bad of the 46 candidates on the ballot. The problem is that they're all bad. An experienced political operative I know is voting for the only viable candidate who has some government experience, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer -- ugh. The Democrat with the most political experience is a San Francisco gadfly, Joel Ventresca -- ick. Republicans John Cox and Larry Elder are truly horrible. 

This brings me back to the first point: instead of spending your time trying to figure out how to vote on the second question, spend your time campaigning against the recall.