The effort to recall California governor Gavin Newsom has gained enough signatures to be placed on the ballot in November, according to the California secretary of state’s office.
An update from the secretary of state on Monday noted that recall petitioners have gathered and submitted 1,626,042 signatures in support of a recall vote. Petitioners needed to reach at least 1,495,000 signatures in order to qualify to place the recall on the ballot.
Counties have until April 29 to submit signatures for verification, which will be followed by a 30-day period during which petitioners may withdraw their signatures from the effort. However, Governor Newsom’s team believes that it is highly unlikely they will be able to prevent a recall from moving forward, according to ABC’s affiliate in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The recall petition gathered steam amid frustration over Newsom’s coronavirus policies, which have included some of the strictest lockdown measures in the U.S.
“I feel that the recall effort has become less of a partisan issue — say Republican, Democrat, etc. — and it’s been an educational issue,” Clarissa Falen, a parent of two high-school-age students northeast of Sacramento, told National Review in February. Many California school districts have remained closed to in-person learning for months at a time, and San Francisco schools allowed students back in the classroom in mid April for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
Former San Diego mayor Kevin Falconer has entered the race to oust Newsom. Additionally, on Monday, reality-TV star Caitlyn Jenner announced plans to run for governor.
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