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Schwarzenegger takes early lead as 247 vie for California governorship
Los Angeles, Aug 13: California election officials were working furiously to ratify a slate of 247 candidates in the recall election for governor.
Los Angeles, Aug 13: California election officials were working furiously to ratify a slate of 247 candidates in the recall election for governor.
Secretary of State Kevin Shelley has set a today deadline for finalizing the list of candidates, but by midday yesterday, only about half the applications had been processed since the Saturday submission deadline.
Once the list of hopefuls is finalized, special election companies will begin printing millions of ballots, each of which is expected to be at least six pages long.
Each candidate had to pay 3,500 dollars and submit 65 signatures to be considered for the top office in the United States' richest and most populous state after a petition drive put before voters the question of whether unpopular governor Gray Davis should remain in office. Such election laws have led to a long list of candidates.
Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, a political novice but also the star of blockbuster Hollywood movies, currently enjoys a strong lead among voters, recent opinion polls indicated. His closest competition comes from Cruz Bustamante, the deputy of democrat Davis, who pledged Tuesday to fight the recall.
''I was elected by 8 million people last year who asked me to govern the state of California and I will not disappoint them,'' he said in Los Angeles when asked if he would consider resigning.
Davis has been plagued by low popularity ratings, primarily due to California's 7-billion-dollar budget deficit, and faces an uphill battle to remain in office.
Voters will be asked two question in the October 7 election: whether to oust Davis and who should replace him.
Given the short campaign time, name recognition will play a significant role in the vote, and ''Terminator'' star Schwarzenegger has jumped to an early lead, with a poll released Monday finding the 42 per cent of voters said they were likely to vote for him.
However, California voters will not find a lack of candidates or colourful characters on the ballot. Candidates include former US professional baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, socialite and political commentator Arianna Huffington, the large-breasted billboard model Angelyne, a 100-year-old hospital volunteer and pornography publisher Larry Flynt. All want to lead an economy estimated to rank as the fifth- or sixth-largest in the world if California were an independent country.
Because of the large field, a candidate could become governor with a relatively small plurality of the vote, with no requirement for an absolute majority - a main argument from democrats working to see Davis stay in office.
The last US governor to be recalled by voters was North Dakota's Lynn Frazier, ousted in 1921. Most state constitutions do not allow for recalls.
Bureau Report
Secretary of State Kevin Shelley has set a today deadline for finalizing the list of candidates, but by midday yesterday, only about half the applications had been processed since the Saturday submission deadline.
Once the list of hopefuls is finalized, special election companies will begin printing millions of ballots, each of which is expected to be at least six pages long.
Each candidate had to pay 3,500 dollars and submit 65 signatures to be considered for the top office in the United States' richest and most populous state after a petition drive put before voters the question of whether unpopular governor Gray Davis should remain in office. Such election laws have led to a long list of candidates.
Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, a political novice but also the star of blockbuster Hollywood movies, currently enjoys a strong lead among voters, recent opinion polls indicated. His closest competition comes from Cruz Bustamante, the deputy of democrat Davis, who pledged Tuesday to fight the recall.
''I was elected by 8 million people last year who asked me to govern the state of California and I will not disappoint them,'' he said in Los Angeles when asked if he would consider resigning.
Davis has been plagued by low popularity ratings, primarily due to California's 7-billion-dollar budget deficit, and faces an uphill battle to remain in office.
Voters will be asked two question in the October 7 election: whether to oust Davis and who should replace him.
Given the short campaign time, name recognition will play a significant role in the vote, and ''Terminator'' star Schwarzenegger has jumped to an early lead, with a poll released Monday finding the 42 per cent of voters said they were likely to vote for him.
However, California voters will not find a lack of candidates or colourful characters on the ballot. Candidates include former US professional baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, socialite and political commentator Arianna Huffington, the large-breasted billboard model Angelyne, a 100-year-old hospital volunteer and pornography publisher Larry Flynt. All want to lead an economy estimated to rank as the fifth- or sixth-largest in the world if California were an independent country.
Because of the large field, a candidate could become governor with a relatively small plurality of the vote, with no requirement for an absolute majority - a main argument from democrats working to see Davis stay in office.
The last US governor to be recalled by voters was North Dakota's Lynn Frazier, ousted in 1921. Most state constitutions do not allow for recalls.
Bureau Report