If Davis is recalled, but the results of the successor election are contested, who will be governor in the interim?

According to the secretary of state’s office, if the effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis succeeds, he cannot be removed from office until the results for the entire special election have been certified by the office.

Under state law, election officials have until Nov. 15 -- 39 days after the election -- to complete the certification process.

No one is certain what would happen if the certification hasn’t happened by then. If the unofficial tallies suggest that Davis has been recalled, he may resign his office before the election results are certified. In that case, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante would automatically become governor until the election process was complete.

Submit questions on the recall process to “Recall Q&A;” at: metrodesk@latimes.com. Past questions and answers can be found on the Web at www.latimes.com/faq.

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Allison Hoffman