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Larry Elder. (Photo: @LarryElder Twitter)

Larry Elder’s Name Missing from Secretary of State List of California Recall Candidates

Elder says he filed over 200 pages of 5 years of tax returns, redacted and unredacted

By Katy Grimes, July 19, 2021 6:58 am

UPDATE BELOW: California Secretary of State Shirley Weber on Saturday released the official state list of the 41 candidates who filed the required paperwork to run in the September 14th recall election. Noticeably absent was Larry Elder‘s name.

Elder announced one week ago that he is running for California Governor in the Recall Election of Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The list (below), required by law, is sent out to the candidates ahead of the date of certification so they have time to litigate. Here is what it says:

This notice complies with provisions of the Elections Code requiring the Secretary of State to notify each candidate for voter-nominated office of the name, address, and, if applicable, ballot designation and party preference of each person having filed for the same office. A Certified List of Candidates will be available on July 21, 2021.

With Elder’s name missing from the list, either some of the required paperwork could have been incomplete, or some of the required 60 signatures collected could have been rejected, or, as it is rumored, Elder did not want to provide his tax returns.

However, Elder disputes that rumor: “We filed redacted AND unreacted returns–over 200 pages of 5 years of tax returns. So they are saying either the redacted version or the unreacted version was ‘incomplete.’”

Elder said on the Steve Hilton Show Sunday evening that he would be challenging the issue.

“And I won’t be represented by my cousin Vinny!” he added on Twitter. 

The Globe contacted the Secretary of State and Elder for comments on Sunday. We didn’t hear back from either, but will update this story. This is sure to be an interesting turn of events.

UPDATE:

California elections attorney Mark Meuser posted this update on his Facebook page:

“I am hearing that multiple candidates have finally received notices that the reason their names do not appear on the initial list of candidates to replace Gavin Newsom in the Recall has to do with the fact that they did not properly submit redacted copies of their tax returns.
The SOS has taken the position that if a candidate is not on the list of candidates that was submitted on Saturday night, they will not be on the final list of certified candidates that is presented to the public on Wednesday absent a court order.
I am sure in the next 48 hours, there is going to be multiple lawsuits brought by numerous campaigns against the SOS for refusing to allow them to be on the ballot due to a technical issue of not properly redacting their tax returns.

For your information, this new law regarding governor candidates producing copies of their tax returns was created in an attempt to require Donald Trump to show his tax returns in 2020 or else be removed from the California primary ballot. I was one of the many attorneys involved with that litigation that got this law partially overturned as to the president.”

The Globe contacted Attorney Meuser for a legal reference about the letter Larry Elder received from the Secretary of State. Meuser referred to California Elections Code 8903, section (b), which says:

The Secretary of State shall review the redacted copy of each tax return submitted by the candidate to ensure that the redactions comply with subdivision (a). If the Secretary of State determines that the candidate has redacted information other than that permitted by subdivision (a), the Secretary of State shall prepare a new version of the tax return with only the redactions permitted by that subdivision.

Meuser indicated that the statute on tax returns says the Secretary of State can prepare a new version of the tax return with only the redactions permitted by that subdivision, but cannot remove a candidate.

He also noted that there were nearly 80 candidates who filed papers to run for Governor in the recall election, but now it’s down to 41.

For more information, Attorney Meuser explains in a video he posted Sunday.

SOS notice-to-candidates
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31 thoughts on “Larry Elder’s Name Missing from Secretary of State List of California Recall Candidates

  1. What a soldier that Shirley! Right in lockstep with the totalitarianism’s regime.
    Gavin might even take you out to dinner for doing such a great job.

  2. I’m so glad you will be following up on this, Katy. I’m dying of curiosity to know what the HECK is going on here and it’s difficult to get any information, which seems to be sort of a clue in and of itself.
    It doesn’t look like such an innocent oversight. We’ll see.

  3. I was under the impression that the California Ministry of Truth is now handling all state business.

    1. I agree, Stacy. This will ONLY energize opposition to Newsom if Larry Elder is declared ineligible because of some technicality. Regardless of what “the problem” is, Newsom will be blamed. Clearly, Elder is being singled out. I think it would benefit the other candidates if they came out jointly and supported Elder’s effort to be on the ballot. Even if Newsom is NOT behind this, it has totally backfired. What a colossal fiasco for Gavin. Larry Elder, candidate or not, will be his biggest media enemy for now on; period.

    2. Excellent points, Stacy and Raymond.
      Don’t want to jinx it but can’t help looking forward to the fireworks should they occur.

  4. Don’t procrastinate. Pretty sure Elder will probably be certified by Wednesday since the paperwork was filed late afternoon on Friday. If not something is up.

      1. If other candidates provided partial tax returns and are allowed to be on the ballot and if these other candidates happen to be White, this could REALLY blow up in Newsom’s face. Elder’s disqualification (if it happens) would become an even bigger story – racial discrimination. Larry could sue in Federal court.

  5. Larry Elder no doubt has a big following and would bring voters out to vote YES to recall Newsom. That is what terrifies Newsom and ilk.

    This last election cycle has made me quite a cynic and I smell something very dirty here. If this stands, then we know we are dealing with a corrupt Secretary of State (duh), who is willing to do anything to hold onto power for the Democrats. All who support Larry Elders and may have to vote differently, should check out Kevin Kiley. He is a fighter with values and solutions.

        1. Lol @ ShowandTell and Stacy, you put a big smile on my face!
          …turning typos into smiles.
          Hopefully, this situation with Mr. Elder’s paperwork will be resolved soon and in his favor.

  6. Can’t we all push for a write in for Larry Elder? Can someone please respond. They’re afraid to put Larry on because he will win hands down.

    1. Dorothy, I don’t believe that a write-in candidate is allowed in the recall election. All candidates have to be certified beforehand by the Secretary of State.

  7. I was just contacted by a pollster regarding the recall. From the questions, it was clearly a Democrat sponsored survey. The main questions were (1) How do you feel about Newsom, Biden and Trump – positive or negative (2) Who did you vote for in the last election (3) Republicans are wasting $215 million on a recall election because they cannot win on the issues – agree or disagree. The pollster was nice, just doing her job. I could decline to answer any question if I wanted to.

    1. P.S. I forgot to mention THE most important question, “How do you plan to vote in the recall – Yes or No?” My answer: Undecided (but I really HAVE decided).

  8. Leftists will always tell you who they are really afraid of. In this respect they are 100% transparent.

  9. The way of the DEMORAT is to stall. To tell Larry Elder either redacted or not redacted. How convenient. Mr. Elder scares them so they will stall until they say it’s too late. Screw this communist regime that is killing this once great state

  10. The article failed to mention that Major Williams, another black conservative, was also rejected by the SOS. Cheaters all the way. I wish Newsom would go up in space with Bezos and leave our state alone.

  11. If candidates for governor have to file a fee, submit signatures and tax returns to be a legitimate candidate, does that make any write in candidate illegitimate? Does this remove the voter’s option of writing in someone who is not on the ballot?

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