November 3, 2026 general election
California Proposition 5; what a yes or no vote means.
Removes the replacement-candidate question from statewide recall ballots; vacancies would generally be filled later by special election or appointment.
Bottom line
What Proposition 5 does
Removes the replacement-candidate question from statewide recall ballots; vacancies would generally be filled later by special election or appointment.
The measure is a legislative constitutional amendment placed on the ballot by legislature. Its official title is “Changes Recall Election Process for Statewide Officers.”
A yes vote
Yes means
Recall ballots would no longer ask voters to choose a replacement at the same election.
A no vote
No means
Voters would continue choosing a potential replacement as part of a recall election.
State estimate
What it could cost
Net effect is unknown; a recall could create savings or costs of millions of dollars depending on the office and election timing.
That is the fiscal effect summarized from the state voter guide. Estimates describe likely government effects; they are not a promise of an exact future result.
Primary record
Read the complete state analysis
This explainer is a starting point. The Secretary of State’s guide carries the impartial analysis, fiscal estimate, arguments for and against the measure, rebuttals and proposed law. Read that record before making a decision.
Open the official Proposition 5 guide