Waste of 320 Billion Won in Public Funds... "110-Year-Old California Recall Vote Needs Revision"

▲Gavin Newsom, Governor of California [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] As the recall vote for the governor of California, USA, which involved a budget of 320 billion won, concluded, voices are emerging calling for a revision of the recall voting system that has remained unchanged for 110 years.

With incumbent Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom securing over 60% of the vote to remain in office and the vote ending uneventfully, there are calls to overhaul the relatively low-threshold recall voting procedure compared to other states.

On the 16th (local time), according to CNN and the Los Angeles Times (LAT), the Democratic Party, which controls the California State Legislature, raised the issue of revising the recall vote and proposed a constitutional amendment. Recall voting is a matter of state constitutional amendment.

State Senator Steve Glazer of the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee and Assemblyman Mark Berman of the Assembly Elections Committee said they would prepare a recall vote constitutional amendment after holding public hearings.

The Democratic Party is focusing on making the recall vote requirements stricter as they prepare the constitutional amendment.

Introduced in 1911, California's recall vote allows elected officials to be removed from office during their term. This system was established to check corruption among public officials but has faced continuous criticism for being inefficient and abused as a tool for political conflict.

In particular, in California, a recall vote can be initiated if consent is obtained from residents equivalent to 12% of the voters who participated in the election of the targeted elected official, including the governor.

As a result, there have been 179 attempts to recall elected officials, 55 of which targeted the governor. However, only 11 cases actually proceeded to a recall vote.

The California State Legislature approved a spending plan of $276 million (approximately 325 billion won) for this recall vote. Estimates suggest the actual election cost could reach $300 million (approximately 353 billion won).

Kevin Mullin, acting Speaker of the State Assembly, pointed out the inefficiency of the recall vote, saying, "The attempt to oust Governor Newsom, led by Republicans, ended in vain, merely reaffirming the 2018 election results ahead of next year's midterm elections," and added, "But $276 million was wasted on this."

Assemblyman Berman said, "There is a need to reform the recall voting procedure," adding, "The recall vote budget could have been used for housing, homelessness, climate change, wildfires, and early childhood education measures."

In a recent poll conducted earlier this month by the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), 61% of voters responded that recall voting is a waste of tax money.

However, Republican supporters who led the recall vote against Governor Newsom said the current system should not be changed.

They argue that tightening recall vote requirements would eliminate a means to check public officials.

Orin Hatchley of the California Patriots Union, who led the Newsom recall campaign, said, "The current system already includes a very difficult recall procedure," and emphasized that although the recall attempt failed, it was important as it provided a channel to express the voices of residents who do not support Newsom.