July 1 (UPI) — A special election to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom will take place Sept. 14, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis announced Thursday.
Kounalakis issued a proclamation setting the date for the election that will seek to determine whether Newsom should be recalled and, if so, potentially elect his successor after more than 1.7 million Californians signed a petition calling for the vote.
Calfornia Secretary of State Shirley Weber certified the election earlier Thursday, giving Kounalakis the choice to set election day on either Aug. 31 or Sept. 14.
Election officials had previously urged Kounalakis to set the election for no earlier than Sept. 14 as the state is required to mail every registered voter a ballot under legislation signed by Newsom earlier this year.
The process would require election officials to locate enough paper to print millions of ballots within the 59 days after the period for candidates to file closes.
Newsom’s Department of Finance on Thursday said the election will cost the state $276 million.
Weber confirmed on June 24 that the petition to hold the election had surpassed the 1.49 million signatures necessary, a number that is equal to 12% of the votes cast in California’s 2018 gubernatorial election, which Newsom, a Democrat, won with 61.9% of the vote over Republican candidate John Cox, who earned 38.1%.
The vote will be just the second recall election in the state’s history after Democratic Gov. Gary Davis was recalled in 2003 and was ousted by actor and now-former Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggar.
Several people have announced their candidacies for the recall election including former Olympic gold-medalist Caitlyn Jenner and former U.S. Rep. Doug Ose, R-Calif.
