Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

EDITORIAL: Recall fever

The drama surrounding the pending recall of California Gov. Gray Davis may draw headlines across the country. But Golden State voters aren't alone in potentially using the recall process to remove elected officials from office.

Activists in Nevada have begun collecting signatures on petitions to recall Gov. Kenny Guinn. And Wisconsin, birthplace of the Progressive movement which spawned recall elections and citizen-based initiative petitions a century ago, has been roiled by actual and potential recalls of state and local office-holders.

As usual, Democrats and other sympathetic pundits are blaming a shadowy "right wing conspiracy" for staging the recalls in an attempt to overturn elections the Republicans "can't win."

How, then, to explain the fact that in California, more than 40 percent of those who signed petitions to recall Gov. Davis are Democrats?

In fact, the rarity with which recalls succeed indicate they're not to be undertaken lightly, or consummated overnight. The impediments that must be overcome to even qualify a recall for the ballot are serious indeed and serve as impediments to fringe political groups with dubious agendas.

And even after a recall reaches the ballot, there's no guarantee it will succeed. Polling in California suggests the chances of removing Gov. Davis from office are a toss-up at best ... notwithstanding the fact that Mr. Davis' approval ratings have plummeted to 20 percent, or below.

Far from some sinister right-wing plot to use undemocratic methods to reverse legitimate elections, the growing interest in recalls reflects a widely held frustration with the actions of public officials of all parties. Recalls are the ultimate expression of democracy and an essential check on government abuse.