As the votes were tabulated, Tuesday’s recall election
produced unprecedented history for the state of California.
After the announcement of the successful recall of Gov. Gray
Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger winning the governorship, some are
discussing the history and far-reaching implications of
Tuesday’s election.
With the certification of the vote tally, California’s
electorate has swept the actor-turned-politician into the
statehouse. It marks the first time in state history a
gubernatorial recall effort has been placed on the ballot and
passed.
Also, Davis becomes only the second governor in U.S. history to
be recalled from office, with the last successful attempt occurring
over 82 years ago.
Only one other governor had been recalled ““ in 1921 in
North Dakota. Voters angry over decreasing wheat and beef prices
tossed out Republican Lynn Frazier. Frazier was later elected to
the U.S. Senate, where he served for 18 years.
Other efforts to recall previous California governors have
failed.
With recall fever far from dissipating, some are already forming
drives to mount a recall effort against Schwarzenegger. A Web site
calling for Schwarzenegger’s recall has existed for several
weeks.
Another Web site, titled “Totally Recall Arnold
Schwarzenegger,” features an online petition for a future
recall.
If these efforts are as well-funded as the recall drive earlier
this year, they could spell the onset of another recall election
for California.
Schwarzenegger raised at least $21.5 million for the race, some
$10 million of which from his own pocket.
Some believe Schwarzenegger’s ascendency to
California’s top office has important implications for the
country’s democratic system.
Associate Vice Chancellor Franklin Gilliam, whose research
focuses on analyzing the impact of media on the electorate’s
understanding of important social issues, said the recall was, in a
democratic sense, “mixed.”
“Only a small number of people brought about this recall
““ how democratic is that? However, (the media) is reporting a
high turnout of voters, so I don’t know if you can say (the
recall) is undemocratic either,” Gilliam said.
Currently, 17 states allow voters to recall elected officials,
with Minnesota as the last state to have added itself to the list,
in 1996.
Given the relatively minimal requirements needed to get a recall
measure on the ballot in California ““ signatures from 12
percent of the state’s last election turnout ““ Gilliam
said politicians may feel pressured to seek short-term solutions to
appease voters given the current political climate.
“It will put pressure on them to fix things quickly,
possibly leading to worse things. Like a crash diet, although you
lose the weight, you can get some bad effects,” Gilliam
said.
Some feel the recall outcome will send a powerful message to
elected officials throughout the country.
Former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta called
the recall result a warning shot to all incumbent officeholders,
rather than a message sent squarely to Davis.
“˜”˜It’s a revolt of people who are increasingly
angry at the crises that face them, and at the failure of
leadership,” Panetta said.
“˜”˜If I were a Republican, I wouldn’t get too
cocky about what happened,” he said.
Schwarzenegger now faces a heavily Democratic legislature where
some feel his ambitious plans might receive significant
resistance.
“˜”˜Asserting something doesn’t make it
so,” said Fred Silva, senior analyst at the Public
Policy Institute of California.
With reports from Daily Bruin wire services.