The election polls at California State University Long Beach saw dozens of citizens ready to cast their ballots in the gubernatorial recall election, yesterday afternoon on September 14, 2021.
Tuesday was the final day that Californians could make their decision on whether or not to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom and Long Beach had a total of four voting centers that stayed open until 8 p.m.
At roughly 6 p.m. a line had formed outside of CSULB’s Walter Pyramid, where people like Connie Verma, a Long Beach resident, waited patiently to cast their ballot. Verma has never missed an election and claimed voting to be a responsibility.
On the ballot, voters were asked two questions: Should Newsom be recalled and if so, who should he be succeeded by? In general, recall supporters sustained that Newsom had mismanaged California’s response to COVID-19 and had unnecessarily raised taxes.
“I don’t appreciate the way he treated small businesses during the pandemic,” said Vicky Pan, a manager at a Long Beach salon who came to vote after work. “I feel like we should’ve gotten more help but we didn’t … But that doesn’t mean I’m voting for Larry either.”
Larry Elder, a conservative radio talk show host, was a frontrunner in the campaign to replace Newsom. He gained support among conservative voters due to his opposition towards abortions, the vaccine, and mask mandates.
On Monday night, at the “Stop the Recall” rally at Long Beach City College, Mayor Robert Garcia denounced Elder for his views on the pandemic, women’s rights, and social justice.
Even still, in addition to Pan, Long Beach residents Hector Ruiz and his partner, who chose not to state her name, voted yes to the recall. “California is a craphole,” said Ruiz, “but it wasn’t always like this.”
He claimed that despite California’s high taxes, the state remains in the same condition. “There was a plan for a bullet train,” Ruiz recalled. “But where is it? Our taxes were raised but I don’t see a train. Do you?”
His partner, a woman who works for the state, agreed. “I can tell you that none of that money is going to state workers,” she said. “… and I think it’s about time for a change.”
However, by 9 p.m. on Tuesday night, Newsom had been announced as the projected winner and addressed the state from Sacramento, thanking 40 million Californians for rejecting the recall.
As of Wednesday night, about 26% of the ballots cast have yet to be counted, but Newsom’s win is already large enough to be unaffected by the results of the remaining ballots.