Recall elections would no longer include a question about who should fill the vacancy. Instead, vacancies typically would be filled through special elections or appointments, depending on the office and timing.
How to interpret this record
California Proposition 5 2026: What a Yes or No Vote Means
A ballot brings together several decisions that share an election date but may follow different rules. The office, jurisdiction and stage of the election tell you what each choice means.
Start with the office and the place
An election record describes a particular office or question in a particular jurisdiction. A statewide contest is different from a congressional district, a city council seat or a school district. An address can help connect those boundaries, but a ZIP code alone is not a guarantee of one exact ballot. Use the election authority’s own ballot lookup to confirm the final choices for a voter.
Separate a filing from a ballot appearance
A campaign-finance filing tells you that a financial record exists. It does not, by itself, establish that the person qualified for the November ballot. A primary participant, withdrawn candidate and certified general-election candidate can all leave public records. Read the election stage and the source label before treating a directory as a current candidate list. Registered write-in candidates are a separate category whose rules depend on the jurisdiction.
Read the full elections & ballots guide →CHANGES RECALL ELECTION PROCESS FOR STATEWIDE OFFICERS.
Under current law, voters elect replacement candidates at the same time as the recall election. This measure instead fills recall vacancies by subsequent special election or appointment.
Yes or No, in the state's words
Voters would continue to be asked who should fill the vacancy as part of recall elections.
What the state says it may cost or change
Net fiscal effect unknown. In the event of a recall, savings or costs of millions of dollars to administer the election depending on the office recalled.
Read the full analysis
The Quick Reference Guide does not publish a separate current-law sentence for this proposition. Electionpedia does not infer one. The Legislative Analyst's analysis in the official proposition PDF explains the baseline law.
Open official analysis ↗Placed by the Legislature
The official guide labels this measure as put on the ballot by the Legislature. This is a source classification, not an Electionpedia judgment.
Not available before Election Day
This election is upcoming. Electionpedia will not show a blank or zero as a result.
Who the official quick guide lists
None submitted
None submitted
Arguments are the opinions of their authors and have not been checked for accuracy by an official agency.