POWER TO THE PEOPLE: The California Recall and Direct Democracy

• Contemporary
• Campaigns & Elections
• State & Local
• History
• Politics, Institutions, and Public Opinion

On October 7, 2003, Californians go to the polls to vote in a historic election. They will decide whether to recall Governor Gray Davis and replace him with someone else. Davis is only the second governor in U.S. history to face a recall election. Is the California recall in the best interests of its citizens? Or is this recall election an example of direct democracy gone awry? And what long-term effects will this recall campaign have on politics at both the state and national levels?