SECTIONS
This is the last day Californians can vote on Newsom recall | The Sacramento Bee
OPINION
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Newsom recall election comes down to today. Here are 5 reasons why you should vote
From our colleagues at the San Luis Obsibo Tribune.
Haven’t voted yet?
Then dig out that ballot from wherever it’s hiding — maybe at the bottom of that stack of unopened mail you’ve been meaning to get to? — and fill it out, because Sept. 14 is here.
If you support the recall, we don’t need to tell you why your vote matters; you know you face an uphill battle.
If you want Gov. Gavin Newsom to stay in office — or you just don’t want front-running recall candidate Larry Elder to win — you may need some extra motivation.
It’s true that the latest surveys are now showing Newsom will survive the recall; according to UC Berkeley-Los Angeles Times poll resulted released Friday, 60% of likely voters oppose the recall, and only 38.5% support it. And if you follow such things, the odds he is actually recalled are now 14/1 (6.7%), according to a news release from US-Bookies.com.
For Democrats, that may be reason to sit this one out.
Here are five good reasons not to:
- Polls have been known to be wrong. Think Donald Trump.
- This is a historical election, and you want to be part of history, don’t you?
- Casting a ballot has never been easier; we can all vote by mail, so there’s no need to trek to a polling place, unless you want to.
- Republicans already are crying fraud. Elder has been meeting with lawyers and is inviting voters to submit reports about election fraud. False reports of irregularities — AKA lies — will likely be especially fierce in San Luis Obispo County, where poll watchers with the Election Integrity Project have been at work, according to the Los Angeles Times. Statewide, the GOP definitely is gearing up for Stop the Steal 2.0. The more votes cast for Newsom, the more pathetic their claims will appear.
- Expose California’s recall process for what it is: a broken system badly in need of reform. If a strong majority of voters defeats the recall, it will underscore the fact that it’s far too easy for a slim minority of voters to get a recall on the ballot in our state.
In other words, voters need to send a strong message: They are sick and tired of minority efforts to undermine free and fair elections through deceit, voter suppression efforts, and now recalls.
For the record, The Tribune is among the many newspapers in California that oppose the recall.
Certainly, Gov. Newsom has made mistakes, and if he survives this, he must do better if he expects to be reelected in 2022.
But it would be an absolute disaster if hard-right candidate Larry Elder were elected, and that alone should inspire the majority of voters in a state where Democrats make up 46.5% of the voting population to Republicans’ mere 24%.
Yet there are still many ballots returned. As of last count, only 37% of the 22 million ballots mailed statewide had been returned, according to Political Data Inc.
San Luis Obispo County was doing better, with 43% returned as of Sept. 9. Still, that’s less than half.
So if you haven’t voted, go find that ballot.
You can still mail it. As long as it’s postmarked no later than Sept. 14, it will be counted. Or take it to a drop box; or go to a polling place, where you can vote in person until 8 p.m. You can even get a new ballot there if you’ve lost yours.
But remember, time is running out. There are many good reasons to vote — and not a single good reason to abstain.
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