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Proposition 5 would overhaul how successors are picked during recall elections, something California politicians have frequently faced in recent years.
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Since 1913, state elected officials in California have faced 182 recall attempts according to the Secretary of State’s Office. Only 11 received enough support to qualify for a ballot and six officials have been recalled including the most recent in 2018.
What a ‘yes’ vote means
If enacted by voters, the ballot measure bars voters from naming a successor to a position if the current officeholder is recalled in the same election. Instead, the office would be filled at a later date either via a special election or appointment.
Prop. 5 would also remove a ban on recalled leaders running for the same office they had been recalled from, but they would not be able to be appointed to that position.
For example, if the ballot measure were in effect and the governor was recalled, the lieutenant governor would take their place until a successor was picked in a special election.
What a ‘no’ vote means
Voting no on Prop. 5 would keep current recall rules in place. Currently, recall elections can be held if at least 12% of the people who voted in the last election for that office sign a petition calling for a recall.
Voters are then asked if they want to recall the person from office, and if so, who should succeed them. Whoever wins the most amount of votes wins, even if they don’t have a clear majority.
That is how Arnold Schwarzenegger was able to succeed former Gov. Gray Davis in the 2003 recall election, even .
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Supporters of Prop. 5
Former state Sen. Josh Newman, D-Fullerton, authored the proposition and is its biggest proponent. The California Labor Federation, California Democratic Party, State Building and Construction Trades Council, League of Women Voters, and Common Cause California also endorsed Prop. 5.
Newman was recalled from office in 2018 after he voted for a tax increase to fund road repairs that was unpopular in his conservative-leaning Orange County district.
“Proposition 5 puts the decision back where it belongs,” Newman said on his pro-Prop. 5 website. “This isn’t about protecting any party or any officeholder. It’s about making sure the person who ends up in the seat actually won it.”
Opponents of Prop. 5
The California Republican Party, Election Integrity Project California Inc., Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and Reform California all oppose Prop. 5.
“This measure makes a mockery of the recall process,” the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association wrote in its 2026 voter guide. “This measure alters the constitutional right to recall a state officer and vote for a replacement candidate. … Proposition 5 allows the recalled officeholder to run in the special election to fill the seat, which current law prohibits.”
Fiscal impact
It’s unclear what Prop. 5’s net impact would be if enacted, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. Any costs or savings to administer recall elections would be dependent on which office was being recalled.
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