The number marks a 40 percent increase over the ten-year average.
Recall elections saw 77 people removed from office in 2024, a 40 percent increase in one year over the ten-year average of 55 officials removed from 2014 to 2023, according to a report published by Ballotpedia on Jan. 15.
According to Ballotpedia’s data, there were 246 efforts to recall 383 public elected representatives in 2024.
This marks a 27 percent decrease from 2020, when 238 recall efforts challenged 301 officials. Recall efforts peaked in 2021—the year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic—with 357 efforts targeting 545 elected representatives. Recall efforts by the public have since been in steady decline.
The 77 removed in 2024 represented 20 percent of targeted officials.
And when considering the removal rate of officials who went on to face recall elections, 2024 saw a 70 percent success rate for recall, Ballotpedia noted—“the second-highest removal rate since Ballotpedia began tracking recall data in 2012.” The year with the highest removal rate was 2023, with 77 percent of officials facing recall elections being removed from office.
The most targeted group were city council members, Ballotpedia reported. They were also the most targeted from 2016 to 2020.
However, in 2021, school board members were thrust into the limelight as the most targeted due to criticism from parents about overreaching COVID regulations and their questioning of their child reading sexualized materials, marking the height of what has been labeled the “Culture Wars.”
Least targeted in 2024, and 2022, were county sheriffs, while state representatives were least sought after by recalls in 2023.
The state with the highest number of elected officials facing recalls in 2024 was Michigan at 70. The state is led by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
California was next with 65 elected representatives challenged by recall efforts, including a petition to recall Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“Michigan also had the most officials targeted for recall in 2018, 2022, and 2023, while California had the most from 2016 to 2017 and 2019 to 2021,” the report said.
Among the notable recalls in 2024 were Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price and Mayor Shen Thao in Oakland, California.
Price, a progressive Democrat, conceded to the recall election in November 2023 in which 62.9 percent of voters opted for leadership change after citizens expressed frustration over the crime and homelessness in the area.
Citizens of Oakland also voted out progressive Democrat Mayor Sheng Thao in a 60.6 percent -39.4 percent recall vote. Thao was accused of weakening the Oakland Police Department, which critics said made the public less safe and increased the crime rate.
Kimberly Hayek and The Associated Press contributed to this report.