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Gov. Newsom calls GOP rivals 'anti-vax,' but are they? | Newsom Recall Updates

Newsom says if he's replaced by one of the Republicans, then COVID cases will soar and so will deaths.

CALIFORNIA, USA — Write-in candidates certified by Secretary of State

California's Secretary of State, Shirley Weber, has certified the list of write-in candidates for the recall election. The list of names can be found here

Gov. Newsom calls GOP rivals 'anti-vax,' but are they?

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has been attacking his Republican rivals as “anti-vax” as he looks to keep his job in a recall election. He has framed the Sept. 14 election as a life-or-death decision. 

Newsom says if he's replaced by one of the Republicans, then COVID cases will soar and so will deaths. Newsom, however, is taking liberties with his characterization. The top GOP candidates -– Larry Elder, Kevin Faulconer, Kevin Kiley and John Cox -– that he says are anti-vax all say they have been vaccinated. All also have said people should get the shot if they wish but that government shouldn't force them.

However, some also  have at times shared misinformation about coronavirus and vaccines.

Experts call for rigorous audit to protect California recall

A group of election security experts is calling on California’s top election official to take an additional step to protect the upcoming gubernatorial recall.

This comes after copies of systems used to run elections across the country were released at an event last month sponsored by a key ally of former President Donald Trump. 

The experts sent the letter Thursday to the California secretary of state calling for a rigorous type of post-election audit to be conducted statewide that can help detect malicious attempts to interfere. 

The letter says such an audit would provide “strong public evidence” to counter any effort to discredit the outcome.

Read the full story from the Associated Press.

If Newsom is recalled, how would a Republican governor get anything done?

Republicans running to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in the recall election have talked about making some big changes in California: Cut taxes. Give parents vouchers for private schools. Roll back some landmark environmental laws.

But while the governor’s office comes with a lot of power, it does not include a magic wand. 

To make many significant policy changes, a governor must work with the Legislature to pass new laws, approve a budget and appoint key leaders to state agencies. And in California, Democrats have a complete lock on the Legislature — holding such a huge supermajority in both chambers that they have more than enough votes to override a governor’s veto, or to pass their own budgets.

So if the Sept. 14 recall is successful and a Republican is sworn in as governor of this deep-blue state — a once far-fetched notion that polls now show is within the realm of possibility —  what would change at the state Capitol come late October? 

Read the full story from CalMatters.

$7 for each Californian | A breakdown of how much the recall election is costing you

Two hundred and seventy-six million dollars. 

That's the cost of the California gubernatorial recall election, according to the California Department of Finance.

The recall's price tag is something Gov. Newsom supporters have been sounding.

"We've seen Trump Republicans across the country attacking election results and the right to vote," Senator Elizabeth Warren said in a "Stop the Republican Recall" advertisement. "Now they're coming to grab power in California, abusing the recall process and costing taxpayers millions."

So, let's break down the expense of this recall a little more...

Tap here to read the full story by Andie Judson.

California Senate votes to mail ballots in all elections

The California Senate has voted to make sure all active registered voters will get a ballot in the mail at least 29 days before every election. 

A majority of California voters have been voting by mail for years. But they had to ask for a ballot in the mail. 

California temporarily changed the rule for the 2020 and 2021 elections to mail all active registered voters a ballot during the pandemic.  Thursday, the state Senate voted to make that permanent. 

The state Assembly must vote on the bill one more time before sending it to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.

Read the full story from the Associated Press.

Key Dates

California Recall Fast Facts

On July 17, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber released a list of the 41 candidates who qualified to run in the recall election. About 70 candidates initially filed a statement of intent to run with the secretary of state, according to Ballotpedia

On July 21, Weber signed off on the finalized list of candidates who'll appear on the recall ballot. The number grew to 46 after a judge ruled that candidates should not be required to submit tax forms for a recall election.

The final day for candidates to file paperwork to run in the recall election was July 16.

The final report from the Secretary of State's office, released on June 23, validated 1,719,943 signatures on the recall petition. The recall effort needed 1,495,709 verified signatures to trigger a recall election. Approximately 441,406 signatures were invalidated.

Only 43 people of the more than 1.7 million Californians who signed the recall petition chose to remove their name from the list.

On July 1, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis finalized the cost of the election at $276 million.

More information on the recall election

Read more from ABC10

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