Vote NO on Prop 5
Updated: Oct 19
They call it the “Eliminate Successor Election in State Officer Recalls” proposition but it really eliminates the voter’s choice during a recall.
Removes the current system that allows voters to both recall a state official and choose their replacement on the same ballot.
If this measure passes, a successful recall would simply remove the official from office, leaving the position vacant. The replacement would then be chosen later through appointments or special elections controlled by politicians - not by voters on the same ballot.
Why California Democrats want Prop 5??
It’s not really about “fixing” recalls. It’s about locking in power through appointments.
Right now, when voters recall a statewide official, they also pick the replacement on the same ballot. Prop 5 removes that second question. If the recall succeeds, the office just becomes vacant and gets filled the normal way - by the Governor’s appointment (with a legislative “confirmation”).
That appointment is a huge gift. The appointee instantly becomes the incumbent.
They get:
Name recognition
Official title and resources
Fundraising advantage
The status quo bias (people stick with the familiar name rather than risk the unknown)
In California, once someone holds a statewide office, they almost never lose if they run again. The last constitutional officer to lose a reelection was in 2010.
And the “confirmation” by the Legislature? It’s meaningless under a Democratic supermajority. Both houses will rubber-stamp whoever the Governor picks.
Prop 5 turns a voter-driven recall into a path for the Governor and the ruling party to install their preferred person, hand them the incumbency advantage, and make them nearly unbeatable. That’s the real point.
Vote NO to keep voters in control of who replaces a recalled official.
Secretary of State Link to Official Source Documents for all Propositions
