77 officials were recalled in 2024—higher than the 10-year average

Michael Rolands // Shutterstock

77 officials were recalled in 2024—higher than the 10-year average

In 2024, Ballotpedia tracked 246 recall efforts targeting 383 officials. This was the fewest since 2020 when there were 238 recall efforts targeting 301 officials, and it was the third consecutive year of decline in recall efforts since the 2021 peak when Ballotpedia tracked 357 efforts targeting 545 officials.

A total of 77 officials were removed from office through recall elections, representing 20% of the officials targeted. This is the third-highest percentage of officials removed since Ballotpedia began tracking recall data in 2012. In comparison, 2018 had the highest percentage of officials removed with 26%.

City council officials were the most targeted group in 2024, continuing a trend from 2016 to 2023. The exception was 2021 when school board members were the most targeted. City council officials made up 44% of all recall targets in 2024, followed by school board officials at 21%.

Michigan had the most officials targeted for recall in 2024 with 70, followed by California with 65. Michigan also led the nation in recall targets in 2018, 2022, and 2023. California had the most officials targeted for recall in the other five years from 2016 to 2021.

Oregon had the highest rate of recall attempts relative to its population with 0.76 recalls per 100,000 residents. Michigan followed with 0.70 recalls per 100,000 residents, while Nebraska had 0.56 recalls per 100,000 residents.

Notable recalls across 2024 included the following:

• Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price in California was recalled on November 5, 2024, by a margin of 62.9% to 37.1%. This was the first time in the county's history that a district attorney was successfully recalled. Recall organizers argued that Price's policies contributed to an increase in crime, citing issues such as leniency in sentencing enhancements, mishandling of homicide cases, and the replacement of experienced county prosecutors with unqualified candidates. In response, Price defended her record, describing her policies as criminal justice reforms. She emphasized the importance of diverting individuals from the criminal justice system and stated that the criminal justice system "has shown to be racially biased."

• Voters in Oakland, California, recalled Mayor Sheng Thao on November 5, 2024, with 60.6% voting in favor of her removal from office. This marked the first time in Oakland's history that a mayor was successfully recalled. The recall notice accused Thao of creating a public safety crisis by systematically dismantling the Oakland Police Department, delaying its exit from federal oversight, and missing a deadline for a state grant intended to combat retail theft. Additionally, rising crime rates in the city were cited as further grounds for the recall. Oaklanders Defending Democracy, the official campaign against the recall, argued that the recall would undermine the city's stability.

• Recall elections were held on October 1, 2024, against two of the seven school board members for the Juneau Borough School District in Alaska. Emil Mackey and Deedie Sorensen successfully retained their seats, as the majority of voters voted against the recall efforts. The recall petitions officially cited "failure to understand the FY24 budget and accounting errors resulting in $7.9M deficit and taxpayer loan from CBJ" as reasons for the recall. Both Mackey and Sorensen said they voted to approve a budget in spring 2023 that appeared balanced based on information provided to them by the district's administration and financial staff.

• Recall elections took place on November 5, 2024, against City Councilmen David Auge and Michael Farrow in Page, Arizona. Both Auge and Farrow were retained in office by voters. Recall organizers accused Auge and Farrow of ignoring a petition on lane reductions, rejecting a ballot measure with sufficient signatures for the July 2024 ballot, and preventing voters from deciding on a plan that could cost taxpayers up to $30 million and alter the town's main street. In their defense, Auge and Farrow both emphasized their commitment to serving and improving the community.

Statistics

Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. Five individuals had two recall efforts started against them in 2024. Their statuses for each effort are included in the statistics below.

Ballotpedia covered 246 recall efforts against 383 officials in 2024. Efforts against 77 officials were successful, removing them from office via a recall election. Sixteen officials resigned after recall efforts were started against them, 33 were put on the ballot but defeated the recall to stay in office, and the recall efforts against 201 officials failed to make the ballot. Recall elections for another eight officials were scheduled but were not held in 2024, and 53 officials faced recall efforts that remained underway into 2025.

The chart below details the results of recall efforts that have been resolved, either by reaching the ballot, failing to reach the ballot, or due to a resignation.

Ballotpedia

2024 Recall Elections See Third-Highest Removal Rate in Over a Decade

Recall elections removed 20% of officials included in recall efforts in 2024. This was the third-highest percentage of officials removed from office that Ballotpedia has tracked. The highest occurred in 2018 with 26%, and the second-highest occurred in 2014 with 21%.

The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 through 2024 as well as how many of them had been removed from office in recall elections at that time.

Ballotpedia

City Council Members Lead 2024 Recall Efforts

City council members drew more recall petitions than any other group in 2024. They also drew the most recall petitions from 2016 through 2023, with one exception. In 2021, school board members drew the most recall petitions.

A total of 168 city council or town board members faced recall campaigns, while 82 school board members faced recall campaigns. Recalls were also sought for 52 mayors and vice mayors. At the state level of government, seven state legislators and five state executives faced recall efforts. A breakdown of the various recall targets is displayed in the chart below:

Ballotpedia

Targets by State

Ballotpedia covered a total of 246 recall efforts against 383 officials in 28 states and the District of Columbia. Michigan led the way in officials targeted for recall with 70 in 2024. California had the second-most with 65, and Oregon had the third-most with 32. Michigan had the most officials targeted for recall in 2018, 2022, and 2023. From 2016 to 2017 and 2019 to 2021, California had the most officials targeted for recall. 

Notable Recalls

Pamela Price recall, Alameda County, California

See also: Pamela Price recall, Alameda County, California (2023-2024)

An election to recall Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price took place on November 5, 2024. Price was recalled in the election by a margin of 62.9% to 37.1%. This was the first time in the history of Alameda County that a district attorney was successfully recalled from office.

The recall campaign was started by the group Save Alameda For Everyone, or SAFE, in 2023. SAFE, which described itself as "[a] broad coalition of Alameda County residents, business owners, victims, victims' families, and concerned citizens," claimed that Price's approach as district attorney led to an increased crime rate. Specifically, recall organizers argued that Price should be recalled for leniency in sentencing enhancements, mishandling of homicide cases, and replacing county prosecutors with unqualified candidates. SAFE's website stated the following: "DA Price has violated victims' rights, ignored victim pleas and disrespected people who have been victimized by some of the worst crimes imaginable."

Price was first elected as Alameda County District Attorney on November 8, 2022, with 53.1% of the vote. She ran on a platform that "included not charging youths as adults, relying less on incarceration, and holding police accountable." During the recall campaign against her, Price alleged that the effort was organized by Republican-connected special interest groups. She also defended what she characterized as criminal justice reforms that her office adopted following her 2022 election, saying, "Any time that we can divert someone from the criminal justice system, that is a goal because the criminal justice system has shown to be racially biased. Often what studies have shown -- and it's true in Alameda County—many times people who are perpetrators or labeled as perpetrators were actually victims."

Price conceded defeat on November 18, 2024. At a press conference, Price said, "the voters (have) spoken, and while the outcome is not what we had hoped for, I respect their decision." She officially left office on December 5, 2024. Price's recall has been compared to other recall campaigns against progressive prosecutors in California, including the successful recall campaign against San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin and the failed recall campaign against Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.

Sheng Thao recall, Oakland, California

See also: Sheng Thao recall, Oakland, California (2024)

Oakland voters approved the recall of Mayor Sheng Thao on November 5, 2024, with 60.6% voting to remove her from office. This was the first time in the city's history that a mayor was successfully recalled.

Former Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte filed the notice of intent to recall, which stated that Thao created a public safety crisis by systematically dismantling the city's police department, delaying the police department's exit from federal oversight, and missing a deadline for a state grant to fight retail theft. Crime rates in the city were also cited as grounds for the recall.

Oaklanders Defending Democracy, the official campaign against the recall, wrote on their website that, "Oakland needs steady, experienced leadership to navigate these challenges, and this recall threatens to derail that stability. Instead of pushing the city toward progress, it would create political chaos, disrupt ongoing efforts, and waste millions of taxpayer dollars. Oaklanders deserve consistent leadership that can build on the work already in motion, not political turmoil that sets the city back."

Thao, who is affiliated with the Democratic Party, was elected as mayor of Oakland in November 2022. She won in the ninth round of ranked-choice voting with 50.3% of the vote.

The Oakland City Council voted on December 17, 2024, to accept the certified results of the November election. City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, who resigned from the council to serve as interim mayor, will hold the position until January 6, 2025, when she will step down to assume her new role on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. At its January 6 meeting, council members will elect a new council president, who will serve as interim mayor until the winner of the April 15, 2025, special election is sworn in.

Juneau Borough School District recall, Alaska

See also: Emil Mackey and Deedie Sorensen recall, Juneau Borough School District, Alaska (2024)

Recall elections against two of the seven members of the Juneau Borough School District school board in Alaska were held on October 1, 2024. Emil Mackey and Deedie Sorensen retained their seats on the board after a majority of voters cast ballots against the recall effort.

The recall petitions included the following reason for recall: "failure to understand the FY24 budget and accounting errors resulting in $7.9 million deficit and taxpayer loan from CBJ." Recall supporters initially submitted six other reasons for recall, but the Juneau City Attorney rejected them as not legally valid. One of the rejected reasons for recall was "rushing to adopt a polarizing consolidation model while refusing to factor in significant negative community impacts." The board approved a plan to convert the district's Thunder Mountain High School into a middle school and send all high school students to Juneau-Douglas High School.

The school district discovered a $9.5 million budget shortfall in December 2023. Earlier that year, the school board had unanimously approved the district's budget through June 30, 2024. After the budget shortfall was found, the board approved a modified budget, which included a $4 million interest-free loan from the city of Juneau.

Jenny Thomas, one of the 11 individuals who made up the recall committee, said the board should have detected the budget issues before it became a crisis. She said the recall effort was meant "to hold them accountable for their prior actions and how they've handled this whole thing."

Both board members said they voted to approve a budget in spring 2023 that appeared to be balanced based on information they were given by the district's administration and financial staff. In response to the recall effort, Sorensen said she felt attacked. "I don't feel like this is really about the FY24 budget. I feel like particularly the names (of sponsors) that are on that petition are all about being opposed to the consolidation of the high schools," Sorensen said.

"The people that are pursuing this are people in pain and people in shock," Mackey said. "And their anger and being in this situation is justified. I just disagree with them going after the people who have been trying to avoid this for the last three years."

Over 10,000 votes were cast in the recall election. Mackey defeated his recall with 63% of the vote, and Sorensen defeated hers with 65% of the vote.

David Auge and Michael Farrow recall, Page, Arizona

See also: David Auge and Michael Farrow recall, Page, Arizona (2024)

Recall elections against City Councilmen David Auge and Michael Farrow were held on November 5, 2024, in Page, Arizona. Voters retained Auge and Farrow.

Auge ran against Corey Ekstrand in his recall election. An automatic recount was held because the margin of votes between Ekstrand and Auge was less than half of a percent of the votes cast in the race. The results of the recount showed Auge winning by five votes, with the final totals being 1,047 for Auge and 1,042 for Ekstrand. Farrow was unopposed in the recall election. He needed one vote to be retained and received 1,572.

The Page Action Committee, chaired by Debra Roundtree, organized the recall effort. Recall organizers alleged that Auge and Farrow refused to acknowledge an opinion petition regarding lane reductions to Lake Powell Boulevard at a city council meeting on September 27, 2023, did not accept a ballot measure relating to the lane reductions with sufficient signatures for inclusion on the July 2024 ballot, and did not allow their constituents "to vote on a matter potentially costing the citizenry 15-30 million dollars and making drastic changes to the major Main Street-Lake Powell Boulevard."

In the statement of defense included on the ballot for Auge, he said, "On advice of our city attorney and a ruling of the Superior Court of Coconino County the Page Action Committee did not have the legal authority to force the City of Page to put the issue of lane reduction on the July Ballot." Auge and Farrow both emphasized their commitment to serving and improving the community in their statements of defense.

Having been retained by voters, Auge and Farrow will continue to serve the remainder of their current terms on the Page City Council, which expire in November 2026.

This story was produced by Ballotpedia and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.