The statewide recall is likely to inspire voters to take back their rights and encourage politicians to not overstep their boundaries.
California Governor Gavin Newsom will possibly be recalled September 14, which could be of massive benefit to the state. Regardless of what happens, there may be other unrealized benefits of the recall.
For good or bad, California, being the nation’s most populous state, is known for being a political trendsetter. It is widely known that new political ideas often start and are passed in California before reaching more moderate states as well as sometimes the rest of the country due to new federal laws.
An example of this is in 2004, when California voters disagreed with federal restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, voting to approve a $3 billion initiative that opened new labs all around the state. Just two years later (which is not long in the political world), six more states followed suit with California to launch their own initiatives.
The good news about this is that the California recall could set a nationwide trend of holding elected officials accountable for their actions by returning voting rights back to the people. In California, over 2.1 million registered voters decided to hold Newsom accountable for the egregious homelessness crisis, high crime, highest taxes in the nation, lockdowns of small businesses, churches, and schools, and much more.
The ability to recall elected officials gives voters another tool in their pocket to oust a politician who does not follow through on the political promises they repeated over and over on the campaign trail.
The recall does not just apply to governorships either. Studies have shown that there are approximately 500,000 electable positions in the United States, ranging from school board trustees to city councilmembers to district attorneys, and more, most of which are eligible for recall if enough signatures can be gathered.
Just in Orange County alone, the statewide recall has inspired organizations to attempt to recall members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors as well as members of the Huntington Beach City Council over perceived injustices due to last year’s restrictions.
A politician being voted in to an elected position should not constitute a free pass to reign as they please over the entire length of their elected term – although that has been the default for far too long. Voters have the power to opt to recall politicians who abuse their power and overstep authority.
