Many Didn't Think Recall was Legitimate

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23. Comparisons to the CA recall are misplaced

The situations differed signficantly. Among other things, Davis had already served a term before the recall effort and he was only able to garner 47 percent of the vote against a weak opponent who had ethical problems and was outspent by Davis. The issues that were depicted as front and center in the recall effort were issues that impacted most voters. In comparison, Walker had been recently elected to his first time with more than 52 percent of the vote at the time the recall effort commenced. And the issues that were perceived as motivating the recall effort were not viewed by a significant percentage of the electorate as directly impacting their lives.

Its not that WI voters view recalls differently than CA voters as much as it is that CA voters viewed the Gray Davis recall effort differently than they viewed other recall efforts. You may not be aware of this fact, but every California governor since 1960 (both Democrats and Republicans) has been the subject of at least one (and usually more than one) recall petition, With the exception of the Davis recall, they all failed to qualify for the ballot. There have been literally dozens of other recall petitions filed in California over the past 50 or so years, and virtually every one of those also failed to make it onto the ballot (and when they did, they were as likely to fail as to succeed). In short, voters in California are not recall-happy and the fact that Davis was recalled reflects something unique about the situation, not about the voters perception of the process.