California Online Voter Guide
California Gubernatorial Recall Election
September 14, 2021
(30th edition)
About This Election
California voters are being asked if they want to remove (recall) or keep Gov. Gavin Newsom as Governor due to a successful effort to collect enough signatures to qualify this question for the ballot.
If a majority of voters who cast ballots in this election vote "no" on the recall, Gov. Newsom will remain Governor of California. If a majority of voters vote "yes" on the recall, the replacement candidate on the recall ballot who receives the greatest number of votes will replace Gov. Newsom and become California's new governor.
Voters have two choices to make on the ballot: 1) whether to recall Gov. Newsom and 2) if a majority of voters vote "yes", which candidate should replace the governor? Voters who vote "no" on the recall can still vote on which candidate should replace the governor if the recall is successful. Voters who want to leave this choice blank will still have their vote on the recall question counted.
In some counties the recall ballot includes additional local contests - check your County Voter Information Guide for more information about these contests.
Important Dates
- August 16: Vote-by-mail ballots start being mailed out to all registered voters; first day of early voting
- August 30: Voter registration deadline
- September 1-14: Conditional, "same day" voter registration available at all voting sites and county election offices
- September 4: 11-day vote centers open in some counties
- September 11: 4-day vote centers open in some counties
- September 7: Last day to update or change how you want to receive your ballot
- September 14: Election Day - polling places and vote centers are open statewide 7am - 8pm
Resources
From The California Voter Foundation:
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Vote-by-Mail tips:
From the Fair Political Practices Commission:
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Top Donors to Committees Supporting and Opposing the Recall of Gov. Newsom
From Maplight & the League of Women Voters:
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Voters Edge - comprehensive nonpartisan election information
From the Secretary of State:
- Recall Election Home Page
- Official California Voter Information Guide
- The 58 counties' In-Person Voting Options
- Recall Election Frequently Asked Questions
- Certified List of Candidates to replace Gov. Newsom if a majority of voters vote in favor of the recall question
- Where's My Ballot? Vote-by-mail ballot tracking service
- See what voting equipment your county uses
- Official Recall Election Calendar
- About Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail voting
- Early voting and drop-off locations
- Report election misinformation to the Office of Election Cybersecurity
- Cal-Access - official campaign finance disclosure web site for the State of California
- Official Statewide Election Results
Campaigns for and against the recall:
- Pro-Recall: RecallGavin2020.com
- Anti-Recall: stoptherepublicanrecall.com
CVF recommends these additional nonpartisan voter resources:
- San Francisco Chronicle's interactive Guide to Recall Election
- Help get out the vote with the League of Women Voters of CA's Recall Election Outreach Toolkit
- Disability Rights California's hotline for voters with disabilities: 1-888-569-7955
- CalMatters' 2021 Recall Guide
- Capitol Public Radio's California Recall Election Voter Guide
- Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot and Backup Ballot from the Federal Voting Assistance Program
- Make sure your Vote-by-Mail ballot is counted - fact sheet from Asians Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles
- About the California Voter's Choice Act - a new voting model to be utilized in 15 counties
- Verified Voting's Verifier for California voting systems
Archived editions of CVF's California Online Voter Guide:
- November 2020 Presidential General Election
- March 2020 Presidential Primary Election
- November 2018 General Election
- 1994 - Primary 2018, plus other archived election resources are accessible via CVF's Archived Elections page
In-Person Voting Methods
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