Californians Like Having The Right To Recall Elected Officials (Even Though Our Most Recent Recall Failed)

A majority of Californians and New Yorkers support the right to recall elected officials, according to a new study out of Claremont McKenna College.

That's even though New York doesn't have a recall process, and the majority of Californian voters were against recalling Governor Gavin Newsom.

Claremont McKenna assistant professor of government Andrew Sinclair told KPCC's Airtalk that party preference plays a big role in who embraces recall elections.

"So Republicans like it a lot… and Democrats kind of like it… but by fairly narrow majorities in both states. And that's probably a function of who they expect to get recalled. Since these are solidly Democratic states, the expectation is this could be a tool that would be wielded against Democratic elected officials," Sinclair says.

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The study also found that regardless of political leaning, supporters of the recall process tend to be populists, looking for people-driven change — think Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump fans — rather than more moderate or centrist voters.