Angelika After California struggled with various power outages due to the energy crisis (as we reported), the bursting of the internet bubble with company closures and rising unemployment, and now faces a budget deficit of 38 billion dollars, discontent is spreading among the population. Just as the Germans complain about Schröder and company, many Californians are angered by Gray Davis, the Democratic governor of California, who was re-elected at the end of 2002 (comparable to a prime minister).

Although the energy crisis is partly attributed to the Republican Governor Pete Wilson (who served before Gray Davis) and Davis did not cause the generally poor American economic situation, he serves as a scapegoat for most Californians. This may also be due to the fact that Davis appears rather colorless and stiff, and he fails to connect with the public. However, democracy means that once elected, a person serves for a full term, and those dissatisfied with Davis can express their discontent in the next election. Far from it: In California (and also in other American states), there is the possibility of a so-called recall: Voters can remove a politician from office before the end of their term. Originally included in the California constitution in 1911 to deal with corrupt politicians, the recall initiative is now causing a complete circus in California. In Germany, you are probably scratching your heads: "Recall - never heard of it!" Let me try to explain what it's all about.

To initiate a recall process, a certain number of signatures from California voters who support the recall must be collected. In California, this amounts to 12% of all votes cast in the last statewide election, which is 897,158 signatures. Compared to other states, this is extremely low; most other states that allow recall procedures require a hefty 25%.

So in the past months and weeks, we frequently encountered signature collectors on our way to the supermarket or the subway. In San Francisco, however, only a few support the recall initiative, as estimates suggest that the special election will cost the already struggling state a hefty 30 million dollars. As a result, other groups are simultaneously collecting signatures. für The signatures for and against the "recall" are not offset against each other. By a certain deadline, the signatures must be submitted for verification, which happened last week. Under the leadership of the Republican but considered untrustworthy politician Darrell Issa--who was arrested twice by the police some time ago on suspicion of car theft--far more than the necessary 1.3 million valid signatures were collected.

Issa financed the "recall" signature collection with 1.5 million dollars. Because in America, nothing happens without money. The election date has already been set. On October 7, voters will decide whether Davis stays or goes, and at the same time, they will choose their preferred new governor from a list of candidates. It seems somewhat crazy to me that a voter is allowed to vote for a candidate even if they are against Davis's recall.

Every Tom, Dick, and Harry, regardless of their party, can run for office. Only Gray Davis draws the short straw. He is not allowed to run. To participate in the governor's race, one only needs to be an American citizen, pay a $3,500 administrative fee, and present 65 valid signatures from supporters. If the candidate doesn't have the $3,500 on hand, the 65 signatures increase to 10,000. You can probably imagine that this means every fool wants to "join in." The danger of this special election is that, in addition to a likely low voter turnout, a completely inexperienced person could become governor, as a simple majority is enough to win, which in practice means that one can win with very few votes.

It currently seems certain that the aforementioned Darrell Issa wants to be involved. But the Republican businessman Bill Simon, who lost to Davis in the last election, also senses his chance. And the rumor mill is buzzing that the film star Arnold Schwarzenegger, known as the muscleman, who is also a member of the Republican Party and a native Austrian with an American passport, might run. As absurd as that sounds, it is by no means far-fetched. In television news polls, perfectly normal-looking Californians admit they are willing to lend their vote to the "Terminator." Arnie is keeping a low profile at the moment, and the press speculates that his wife Maria Shriver, a Democrat who is also part of the Kennedy clan, is advising against it. I tell you, if I have to endure "I'll be back"-Arnold alongside Cowboy Bush, I'll go crazy.

• More topics you might be interested in:

  	Traffic lights in the space age
  	California Gun Laws
  	Topprodukt
  	How much longer?
  	The ailing pension system
  	The American school system
  	San Francisco Local: Subway to the Airport

  
  

• More topics you might be interested in:

  	Traffic lights in the space age
  	California Gun Laws
  	Topprodukt
  	How much longer?
  	The ailing pension system
  	The American school system
  	San Francisco Local: Subway to the Airport