It threatens to become as much an American political tradition as democracy itself: if you don't like how the votes stack up, then change the result by other means.
Two-and-a-half years after the Supreme Court invoked legal argument to hand the White House to George Bush, a car alarm salesman from San Diego is using a century-old law to win power for the Republicans. And the efforts of Darrell Issa could catapult actor Arnold Schwarzenegger into a major political role.
Issa, a Republican congressman, wants to 'recall' the state's governor, Gray Davis, saying he misled the voters over the extent of California's budget deficit in his re-election campaign.
The 'recall' is an obscure statute, introduced in 1911 to give voters the chance to remove elected officials who they believe have committed 'egregious acts'.
'This recall is being pushed by people who lost the last election,' Davis said. 'This is about a bunch of affluent losers who are trying to spend money to throw the state into reverse.'
Issa, who would like to replace Davis, needs to collect 900,000 signatures to spark a new election. At first, there was scepticism about his prospects. No longer. He has already collected 700,000 names, spending $800,000 of his own money - much of it on 'signature gatherers', who are paid 75 cents per name.
'Welcome to California - the wild, wild west,' said Philip Muller of the California Voter Project and an opponent of Issa. 'We are talking about an attempted coup d'état by someone who is seeking to become the governor by the back door. We had an election last year. Davis won. Get on with it.'
If the petition attracts the required number of signatures by 4 July, voters will be asked if Davis should be removed, and who should replace him. However, Issa is not seen as the Republicans' best chance. Waiting in the wings is Schwarzenegger, who has never hidden his support for the Republicans or his political ambitions. The 54-year-old is backing the recall, and has fuelled speculation that he will run for office, given the chance.
'I think the people obviously feel dissatisfied with the way the governor is handling the budget crisis. I'll think about [running] after I've promoted my movie [Terminator 3],' he said.
A Schwarzenegger bid would probably end Democratic rule in California. Polls put Davis's approval rating at just 24 per cent.
