CVF in the News

Recall fact and fiction: What you need to know about the election fraud rumors you’re seeing

By Sameea Kamal, Calmatters, August 31, 2021

Excerpts:

You’ve seen the posts on Twitter and Facebook, or maybe someone forwarded a WhatsApp message about suspicious activity with California’s recall ballots.

Unfounded rumors about election security have always been around, but they’ve been rampant since the 2020 election and former President Trump’s “Stop the Steal” movement. Despite those allegations, the 2020 elections were found to be “the most secure in American history,” according to a statement from a coalition of government and election industry officials.

Claims of fraud in California’s recall election have been amplified on social media by some recall supporters, as well by some of the candidates themselves, including Larry Elder, the Republican talk show host leading most polls.

California recall: 18.1% of Riverside County voters have already returned ballots

By Tom Coulter, Desert Sun, August 31, 2021

Exceprts:

With just two weeks remaining until Election Day in the recall attempt of California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom, nearly a fifth of ballots sent to registered voters in Riverside County have been returned, a pace that falls in line with statewide data that also indicates younger people have been slower to cast their ballots.

About 1.29 million ballots were sent out to registered voters in Riverside County in mid-August, and 233,675, or 18.1%, had been returned as of Tuesday, according to the county registrar’s office.

The figure aligns closely with what has been reported for California as a whole. More than 3.8 million people, or 17.2% of the state’s 22.3 million registered voters, had returned their ballots as of Sunday, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.

Why Gavin Newsom wants you to leave question two blank

By Morgan Rynor, CBS8, August 30, 2021

Excerpt:

Governor Gavin Newsom and the Democratic Party of California want you to vote "No" on question one and leave question two blank. There are eight other Democrats on question two you can vote for, so why not pick a backup?

Newsom's Campaign Spokesperson Nathan Click said "all of them are totally unknown and none of them will be able to gain enough support to overtake Elder."

YouTube Financial Analyst Kevin Paffrath describes himself as a JFK-style Democrat. He has millions of YouTube followers, but Click said not even he can beat Elder.

California Recall: Answers To Voter Concerns On Signature Verification, 2nd Question, Holes In Envelopes

By Wilson Walker, KPIX 5, August 26, 2021

California Voter Foundation discusses recall election ballot, voter guide

By Anisca Miles, Sonseeahray Tonsall, Fox 40 News, August 24, 2021

PolitiFact California Guide To Misinformation About The Newsom Recall Election

By Chris Nichols , Capital Public Radio, August 16, 2021

California’s recall election will determine whether Gov. Gavin Newsom remains in office or is removed and replaced by another candidate. As voters make their choice, they may encounter misinformation or confusion about how the recall process works.

To help sort through the facts, PolitiFact California debunked false claims about the election and demystified how it works in our guide to misinformation about the recall.

Before we call out some false claims, let’s explain the basics on how to vote.

The recall ballot will have two parts:

Newsom wants voters to ignore the recall ballot’s second question. They don’t have to

By John Myers and Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, August 9, 2021

Excerpts:

For Gov. Gavin Newsom, the only thing that matters in the recall election he faces is how California voters fill out the part of the ballot that can keep him in office. Whether they understand that they also have the right to select a potential replacement isn’t part of his equation.

But the singular focus of Newsom and prominent Democrats could be a high-stakes gamble with the party’s political and policy agenda. It might also leave millions of voters who soon will receive a ballot in the mail unaware they can cast a vote on both of the recall ballot’s questions — even if their preference is to retain Newsom as governor.

“I think it’s unfortunate that the Democratic Party is not giving voters any guidance on what to do on the second question,” said Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation. “It’s going to leave a lot of people confused.”

Judge Denies Newsom’s Request to Identify Himself as a Democrat on Recall Ballot

By Scott Shafer, KQED, July 12, 2021

Excerpts:

A superior court judge in Sacramento on Monday denied a request by Gov. Gavin Newsom to force California Secretary of State Shirley Weber to include his Democratic Party affiliation on the recall election ballot, despite the fact the Newsom missed a filing deadline.

In an 11-page decision, Judge James Arguelles said "Secretary Weber had no ministerial duty to accept the untimely designation."

The decision comes after a lawsuit filed two weeks ago by Newsom's lawyers asked the court to compel Weber — a Newsom appointee — to include the governor's party affiliation next to his name on all recall ballots sent to voters.

California Voter Foundation president discusses voting rights

By Anisca Miles, Sonseeahray Tonsall, Fox 40, June 28, 2021

Excerpts:

President Joe Biden’s hopes to standardize some of what Americans can expect at the polls reached a hurdle when the Senate wouldn’t allow the For the People Act to be fully debated.

Audits of last fall’s federal election are ongoing and the torrent of other efforts to prove the legitimacy of the results have not subsided, even in the face of repeated court decisions to the contrary.

Kim Alexander, the founder and president of the California Voter Foundation, joined Sonseeahray to talk about the state of voting in the U.S. and the foundation’s recent study about the harassment of election officials

Democrats push for speedy Newsom recall as new analysis pegs cost at $215 million

By John Myers, Los Angeles Times, June 10, 2021

Exerpts:

An analysis released Thursday projects the recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom will cost at least $215 million, less than what elections officials initially estimated but a large enough price tag that local governments across California will need the state to pick up the tab.

Legislative leaders quickly seized on the estimate provided by the state Department of Finance as fulfilling a mandate under state law to fully assess the costs of the recall — potentially speeding up by some two months the special election in which voters could oust Newsom from office.

Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) said Thursday that they will include the projected cost in the state budget that must be enacted by the end of the month.

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