The US Justice Department has given the green light for California to proceed with a recall election, clearing one of the last hurdles for the unprecedented vote next month.
The approval is an important step in eliminating a lawsuit that sought to delay the election on grounds that one California county's plan to cut polling places might discriminate against minority voters.
On October 7th, California voters will decide whether to remove Democratic Governor Gray Davis from office because of public unhappiness over the state economy. A second ballot question lists 135 replacement candidates should the recall succeed, including actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Mr Davis had wanted to delay the recall vote until March, when the state holds a presidential primary expected to bring out more fellow Democrat voters. The governor has stopped talking about such a delay in recent weeks as courts have dismissed a series of lawsuits.