Madness recall: a circus-like election to recall California's Governor is either democracy in action or--as some critics worry--the beginning of its descent into chaos.

• Author: Vilbig, Peter
• Position: National

It's the greatest electoral show on Earth: Next month, more than 100 candidates, ranging from the serious to the ridiculous, will try to knock California Governor Gray Davis out of office barely a year into his second term. The contenders range from superstars (Arnold You-Know-Who) to absolute unknowns (a hearing-aid-store owner who claims a comet streaking across the sky convinced him to run).

Anyone, in fact, who took the trouble to file papers and pay a $3,500 registration fee now has a theoretical shot to be Governor, running a state with the fifth-largest economy in the world. Dot-com engineers, a used-car salesman, comedians, movie directors, and a pair of entrepreneurs hoping to use the race to market their new beer have all signed up. There are experienced politicians, too. Davis himself is fighting for his political life. His own Democratic lieutenant governor, Cruz Bustamante, is also on the ballot, as are several leaders of the state's Republican Party establishment. And then there's Schwarzenegger, the 56-year-old superstar, who has landed in the race much like his Terminator character crashes down on present-day Earth in his movies--a huge force to be reckoned with.

GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY OR DISASTER?

With this attention-grabbing list of wanna-be Governors, California is now about to give the country an extraordinary political lesson that is either going to be an example of grassroots democracy in action, or a high-speed electoral crash. On the surface, the race seems equal parts politics and entertainment--the candidates have all been invited to appear this month on Jay Leno's Tonight Show. Yet beneath the showbiz glitter lie serious questions about the benefits of recall votes. Voter anger could rewrite the political rule book in the nation's most populous state and spawn copycat recalls in other states (See "A Domino Effect?" facing page).

"These are groups of frustrated voters," says Michael Traugott, a political scientist at the University of Michigan. "They feel that government is not responsive to their needs and interests, that the costs of government are going up--and all of that is exacerbated by hard economic times."

Recalls are elections to remove a public official from office, following a petition campaign that collects a required number of signatures from voters. Those in favor of recalls say they give citizens a direct voice in government. Such involvement increases participation and keeps power from being concentrated ill the hands of a few. Opponents of recalls say they are often organized by special interests, whose real goal is to overturn the results of a valid election. They argue that recalls give an outlet to uninformed public rage--the exact opposite of the deliberation and care that ought to go into choosing our leaders.

Arguments for both views abound in the current recall campaign. Those in favor of the recall can rightly argue that it has led...