Appeals Court Reinstates October 7 Date for Recall

A federal appeals court in San Francisco has reinstated California´s October 7 recall election, rejecting a 3-judge panel´s decision to put it off.

Unless the Supreme Court steps in quickly, the unanimous decision by an 11- member panel of the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals means the election will proceed as scheduled.

The ruling reinstates an earlier U.S. District Court ruling and rejects the September 15 decision of a 3-judge panel from the same court ordering a delay.

The original panel postponed the vote on whether or not to recall Governor Davis because six counties will be using outdated punch-card ballots. About 44 percent of California´s voters reside in those counties.

Punch card voting is the same system that caused the “hanging chad” fiasco in Florida during the presidential election of 2000.

The decision clears the way for a possible appeal to the Supreme Court, which could be asked to revisit its Bush versus Gore decision of 2000.

The high court stopped Florida´s presidential recount because the state lacked uniform standards on how to actually recount the votes, such as what to do with the infamous “hanging chads.”