Newsom cannot put Democratic affiliation on recall ballots, after campaign misses deadline

A California judge has ruled Gov. Gavin Newsom cannot put his Democratic Party affiliation on the recall election ballots because his campaign missed a deadline in the process.

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge James Arguelles ruled Monday state law "unambiguously precludes party information from appearing on a recall ballot where the elected officer fails timely to make the designation," according to the Associated Press.

Voters will decide Sept. 14 on whether to recall Newsom, the result of a successful petition drive, signed by millions of eligible voters, largely over their dissatisfaction with Newsom’s response of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newsom’s campaign said it inadvertently missed the deadline to submit his affiliation to California  Secretary of State Shirley Weber and asked the Newsom appointee to allow the affiliation to appear to the ballots, the wire service also reports.

Weber said the issue had to go before a judge. 

Newsom filed a lawsuit while his Republican opponents criticized the move as an attempt to change rules everyone else must follow.