2024 Recall Elections Lead to the Removal of 77 Officials from Office
The figure indicates a 40 percent rise compared to the ten-year average.
Ballotpedia’s statistics reveal that there were 246 attempts to recall 383 elected public officials in 2024.
This signifies a 27 percent drop from 2020, when 238 recall attempts targeted 301 officials. The peak of recall efforts occurred in 2021, the year following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 357 attempts aimed at 545 elected officials. Since then, public recall efforts have consistently declined.
The 77 officials removed in 2024 accounted for 20 percent of those who were targeted.
Considering the outcome of officials facing recall elections, 2024 exhibited a 70 percent success rate for recalls, as noted by Ballotpedia—marking “the second-highest removal rate since the inception of recall data tracking in 2012.” The highest removal rate recorded was in 2023, where 77 percent of officials facing recall elections were ousted.
The group most frequently targeted consisted of city council members, which has also been the case from 2016 to 2020, according to Ballotpedia.
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In 2021, school board members became the central focus as the most frequently targeted due to backlash from parents regarding stringent COVID guidelines and concerns over sexualized reading materials for children, signaling the climax of the so-called “Culture Wars.”
In both 2022 and 2024, county sheriffs were the least targeted positions, while state representatives received the lowest number of recall attempts in 2023.
Michigan had the highest number of elected officials facing recalls in 2024, with 70 officials targeted. This state is under the governance of Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
California followed closely with 65 elected officials undergoing recall efforts, including a petition to recall Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Michigan also witnessed the most officials targeted for recall in 2018, 2022, and 2023, while California led in the years of 2016 to 2017 and from 2019 to 2021,” the report elaborated.
Noteworthy recalls in 2024 included Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price and Oakland Mayor Shen Thao.
Additionally, Oakland residents voted to recall progressive Democrat Mayor Sheng Thao with a vote of 60.6 percent to 39.4 percent. Thao faced accusations of undermining the Oakland Police Department, leading to claims of increased public insecurity and higher crime rates.
Kimberly Hayek and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
