San Francisco and California Ballot Backstory · Why is this on my ballot?
Prop 5: summary
Changes Recall Election Process for Statewide Officers
Mark your own choices here. You may bring this sheet into the voting booth.
A YES vote means
Recalls decide only removal; appointment, later election or the Lieutenant Governor fills the seat. The official may run in a special election, not be appointed.
A NO vote means
Recall ballots keep two questions: whether to remove the official, and who replaces the official if removed. If removed, the second question's winner takes office.
Both ovals are empty on purpose. The choice is yours.
If it fails
Nothing changes if it fails
If Prop 5 fails, current law stays. Voters decide at the same election whether to recall a state officer and, if the officer is recalled, who will replace that officer.
Why it’s on the ballot now
Today, a recall ballot asks two questions. If the official is removed, the candidate with the most votes on the second question takes office.
Since 1913, 11 state recalls have made the ballot. Six removed an official: five legislators and one Governor.
The 2003 Governor recall had 135 candidates on the second question. The 2021 Governor recall had 46.
The legal text says this change was "proposed by Senate Constitutional Amendment 1" (SCA 1), Resolution Chapter 204, Statutes of 2024.
Supporters say voters rejected the 2021 Governor recall and that it cost taxpayers more than $200 million. Opponents say the current recall process has given voters the ability to remove officials for over 100 years.
The money
The Legislative Analyst says the net effect is unknown and depends on how often recalls happen and which offices are recalled. A recall could cost or save potentially millions of dollars: costs if a standalone special election is needed to fill the seat, savings when the seat is filled by appointment or a Governor is recalled late in the term, because ballots would no longer list replacement candidates. The net effect is under 0.1% of the state's General Fund. See the money chart for the latest filed totals.
Needs a simple majority (50% + 1) to pass Some measures need 55% or two-thirds of votes to pass. This one needs only a simple majority.Who bears the cost
State and county governments (election administration)
The Legislative Analyst (LAO) says the net effect is unknown, because it depends on future recalls. It could mean savings or costs of millions of dollars. That is less than 0.1 percent of the General Fund budget.
The strongest case for and against
Strongest case for
Supporters, including the League of Women Voters of California, California Common Cause and former Fair Political Practices Commission chair Dan Schnur, say recalls are meant to remove corrupt or abusive officials, not to redo an election. They say the second question lets a replacement win with far less than half the vote: had the 2021 recall passed, the leading replacement would have taken office with about 28% of recall voters. Most states with recalls, they say, fill vacancies by succession or a separate election. Under Prop 5, they say, voters still choose leaders, but statewide candidates should earn it in a regular election.
Strongest case against
Opponents, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones and Assemblymember Joe Patterson, say Prop 5 takes away half of voters' recall power: choosing who replaces a removed official. They say the process has worked for over 100 years. They also say the measure's author was once recalled by voters. They argue that politicians, not voters, would often pick the replacement, possibly a political ally. In other cases, they say, the seat would sit empty until another costly election months later, and the recalled official could run in it.