Page "California gubernatorial recall election" Paragraph 40

The ballot consisted of two questions ; voters could vote on one or the other, or on both.

The first question asked whether Gray Davis should be recalled.

It was a simple yes / no question, and if a majority voted no, then the second question would become irrelevant and Gray Davis would remain California governor.

If a majority voted yes, then Davis would be removed from office once the vote was certified, and the second question would determine his successor.

Voters had to choose one candidate from a long list of 135 candidates.

Voters who voted against recalling Gray Davis could still vote for a candidate to replace him in case the recall vote succeeded.

The candidate receiving the most votes ( a plurality ) would then become the next governor of California.

( It had previously been determined that Davis could not run as a candidate to succeed himself.

) Certification by the Secretary of State of California would require completion within 39 days of the election, and history indicated that it could require that entire time frame to certify the statewide election results.

Once the results were certified, a newly elected governor would have to be sworn into office within 10 days.