The Prospect of Minority Rule

As I understand my informational booklet about the upcoming recall election, there are two items on the ballot: First, a yes or no vote on whether Gavin Newsom should be recalled as governor. Second, cast a vote for one of the 46 candidates on the ballot; if the recall succeeds, the winner will be the one receiving the most votes.

Please note, this is the most votes, not a majority of the vote. With 46 candidates in the running, it’s mathematically possible that a candidate could become governor with just 3 percent of the vote. Majority rule?

Why shouldn’t Gavin Newsom have the right to add his name to the list of candidates? It’s very likely that he would win the plurality of this vote. Can’t he be elected in the same process in which the other 46 seek election?

If not, common sense dictates that every no vote for the recall is a vote of support for Gavin Newsom. Were the recall to succeed with a 51 percent vote in favor, shouldn’t the other candidates have to win more than the 49 percent of voters who expressed support for Newsom?

Whoever devised this recall process is either an idiot or corrupt, or perhaps a bit of both. While Californians look with dismay at voter suppression legislation being passed in states all around the country, this is the California version of Republicans’ attempt to steal an office, to void an election outcome they didn’t like, and to pursue their goal of minority rule. They certainly realize that in California their chances of winning a majority in a legitimate election are slim.

We should all be terrified that the party of stupid can make us the country of stupid. We can’t let this happen, voting to defeat the recall, and then creating a sensible framework for future recalls.