CALIFORNIA, USA — Last-minute candidates hoping to oust California Gov. Gavin Newsom have less than one week to file to run in the upcoming gubernatorial recall election.
Prospective candidates have until July 16 to file paperwork signifying their intent to run, as well as submitting five years of their most recent tax returns with the California Secretary of State’s Office. Candidates with prior felony convictions for bribery, embezzlement, extortion, or theft of public monies are disqualified. A candidate who previously served two terms in the office sought is also ineligible.
In addition to filing a statement of intent to run with the secretary of state, prospective candidates must set up a campaign contribution account at a California financial institution. All loans and campaign contributions that are made to the candidate or to the candidate's committee must be deposited in this account. Any personal funds that will be used for campaign purposes must first be deposited into the account before they’re used. And all campaign expenses must come from this account, as well.
Then there is the matter of the filing fee. The current filing fee to run for Governor of California is $4,194.94. The figure is approximately 2% of the first year’s salary of the governor, according to the Secretary of State’s office. It must be paid at the time the candidate files their intent to run.
A candidate can skip the filing fee if they’re able to gain 7,000 valid signatures on petitions for their candidacy. The filing fee can be prorated by signatures, too, if a candidate fails to reach 7,000. Signatures are valued at about $.60 each.
Finally, candidates have to fill out a “Statement of Economic Interests” with the county elections official in the county the candidate lives. This statement outlines all “investments, interests in real property, and any income received during the immediately preceding 12 months pursuant to the requirements of the Political Reform Act of 1974.”
After all that is taken care of, a prospective candidate is now eligible to join the dozens of others who want a crack at becoming the next Governor of California. Happy campaigning!
California Recall Fast Facts
As of July 12, 60 candidates have filed a statement of intent to run with the secretary of state, according to Ballotpedia, and there is still time for more candidates to throw their hat into the ring.
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.
Read more ABC10 stories about the recall:
- Who's running in the upcoming recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom?
- Kevin Kiley begins campaign at State Capitol to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom
- Caitlyn Jenner's 1st news conference short on substance
- California's recall election will cost $276 million, recall date set for Sept. 14
- Newsom recall is a go after only 43 people remove their signatures from effort
