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


Welcome to the Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, Brew. 

By: Lara Bonatesta

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

  1. A look at all recall elections in 2024
  2. Thirteen of Trump’s Cabinet nominees have confirmation hearings scheduled for this week
  3. The Democratic representatives boycott the start of the Minnesota House of Representatives’ 2025 session

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

Seventy-seven officials were removed from office through recall elections in 2024. An average of about 55 officials were recalled between 2014 and 2023.

Ballotpedia publishes annual mid and year-end recall reports containing national and state-level recall statistics and summaries of notable recalls. Click here to read the 2024 year-end report, our 11th year-end report. Here’s the top-line data:

  • Ballotpedia followed 246 recall efforts, targeting 383 officials in 2024. This was the fewest since 2020, when there were 238 recall efforts, targeting 301 officials. 
  • 2024 was the third consecutive year of decline in the total number of recall efforts since the 2021 peak when we identified 357 efforts targeting 545 officials. 
  • Seventy-seven officials were removed from office through recall elections, representing about 20% of those targeted. In other words, of the 110 officials who faced recall elections in 2024, 70% were successfully removed from office. 
  • This is the second-highest removal rate since Ballotpedia began tracking recall data in 2012.
  • The year with the highest removal rate was 2023 when about 77% of officials who faced recall elections were removed from office.

Recall targets

  • For the third consecutive year, city council members were the most targeted group. They were also the top target from 2016 to 2020. In 2021, school board members were the most targeted group.
  • Sheriffs were the least targeted group in 2024 and 2022. State executives were the least targeted group in 2023. 

Recalls by state

  • Michigan led the nation in the number of officials who faced recall efforts in 2024, with 70 officials targeted. California followed with 65 officials targeted. 
  • 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. 

Here are some notable recalls that happened last year:

  • Voters in Alameda County, California, recalled District Attorney Pamela Price 62.9%-37.1% on Nov. 5. 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. 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 60.6%-39.4% on Nov. 5. This was the first time in Oakland’s history that a mayor was successfully recalled. The recall notice said Thao’s systematic dismantling of the Oakland Police Department created a public safety crisis, delaying its exit from federal oversight, and said she missed a deadline for a state grant intended to combat retail theft. Oaklanders Defending Democracy, the official campaign against the recall, argued that the recall would undermine the city’s stability. As we noted in the Nov. 15 edition of The Brew, Oakland is the largest city to recall its mayor since Ballotpedia began tracking recalls in 2010. Other large cities that have recalled their mayors include Seattle, Washington, and Wichita, Kansas, in 1911, and Spokane, Washington, in 2005. 
  • On Oct. 1, voters in Juneau Borough School District in Alaska voted to retain school board members Emil Mackey and Deedie Sorensen 63.3% to 36.7% and 65.2% to 34.8%, respectively. 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. Mackey and Sorensen said they voted to approve a budget in spring 2023 that appeared balanced based on information the district’s administration and financial staff provided.
  • On Nov. 5, voters in Page, Arizona, voted to retain City Councilmembers David Auge and Michael Farrow. Recall organizers said Auge and Farrow ignored a petition and rejected a ballot measure with sufficient signatures for the July 2024 ballot, preventing voters from deciding on a lane reduction plan that could cost taxpayers up to $30 million. Auge said the Page Action Committee did not have the legal authority to put the lane reduction measure on the July ballot. Auge and Farrow both emphasized their commitment to serving and improving the community.

Ballotpedia covers every recall effort that is officially underway across the United States. We consider a recall effort officially underway if some form of paperwork has been submitted to begin the recall process.

Ballotpedia’s 2024 year-end recall report includes recalls from Jan. 1 through Dec. 20, 2024. To view past reports, click here.

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Thirteen of Trump’s Cabinet nominees have confirmation hearings scheduled for this week 

There are five days until President-elect Donald Trump’s (R) inauguration, and confirmation hearings for his appointees are in full swing.

As we noted in the Jan. 8 edition of the Brew, Trump announced nominees for all 22 Cabinet and Cabinet-level positions requiring Senate confirmation faster than the past three administrations, including his own first term. 

Thirteen confirmation hearings are scheduled for this week. This schedule was current as of 4 PM ET on Jan. 14. 

Here is a round-up of this week’s hearings:

Tuesday, Jan 14

  • The Senate Armed Services Committee held a confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense.

Wednesday, Jan. 15

  • The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold the first half of a confirmation hearing for Pam Bondi for Attorney General, 
  • The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing for Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation.
  • The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hold a hearing for Kristi Noem for Secretary of Homeland Security.
  • The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing for Marco Rubio for Secretary of State.
  • The Senate Intelligence Committee will hold a hearing for John Ratcliffe for CIA director.
  • The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing for Chris Wright for Secretary of Energy.
  • The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing for Russell Vought for director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Thursday, Jan. 16: 

Two of Trump’s main 15 Cabinet positions – the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Defense – were confirmed on his inauguration day in 2017. The first of President Joe Biden’s (D) main 15 Cabinet  – the Secretary of Defense – was confirmed two days after his inauguration in 2021. Seven of former President Barack Obama’s (D) main 15 Cabinet positions were confirmed on his inauguration day in 2009.

Click here to learn more about the confirmation process for Trump’s Cabinet nominees.

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Democratic representatives boycott the start of the Minnesota House of Representatives’ 2025 session

A dispute over party control of the Minnesota House of Representatives resulted in Democratic representatives boycotting the start of the 2025 session on Jan. 14.

Let’s take a look at how we got here.

  • Ahead of the Nov. 5 general elections, Democrats had a 68-64 majority in the chamber with two vacancies. 
  • After the elections, the House was evenly split with 67 Democrats and 67 Republicans. The last time the chamber was evenly split was in 1978.

However, a court order shifted the partisan balance to a 67-66 Republican majority with one vacancy. On Nov. 5, Curtis Johnson (D) defeated Paul Wikstrom (R) 65.4% to 34.6% in the general election for House District 40B. Wikstrom contested the results in court, alleging that Johnson did not meet the residency requirements to run in the district. On Dec. 20, Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro ruled that Johnson was disqualified from holding office. Johnson said he would not appeal the decision, and Gov. Tim Walz (D) scheduled a special election for Jan. 28.

In the general election for District 54A, Brad Tabke (D) led Aaron Paul (R) 10,973 to 10,959 votes, a margin of 14 (0.06%) votes following certification. Minnesota allows a losing candidate to request a recount paid for by the state if the final margin is less than 0.5% of the total votes. Paul requested a recount, which found that Tabke won by 15 votes. However, Scott County election officials announced that 20 ballots were lost and unable to be counted. In response, Paul filed a lawsuit asking Scott County District Judge Tracy Perzel to declare the election result invalid and order the district’s seat vacant until a special election could occur.

During the December 2024 trial, six of the 20 voters identified as those whose ballots were lost testified that they voted for Tabke. Tabke declared victory after the trial concluded. Rep. Lisa Demuth (R) indicated that Republicans would use their majority vote to refuse to seat Tabke. Perzel ruled on Jan. 14 that Tabke “remains the candidate with the most votes legally cast in the 2024 General Election for Minnesota House District 54A” and that “neither an injunction nor a special election is warranted or ordered.”

On Jan. 14, Democratic leader Rep. Melissa Hortman (D) announced that Democrats would boycott the start of the session: “Given Republican statements this morning indicating their intent to ignore the election results and the court’s decision, Democrats have no other recourse to protect the will of the voters than to deny quorum until the special election in 40B has concluded and that new member is sworn in.” A quorum is the minimum number of members required to conduct official business. 

Secretary of State Steve Simon (D)– acting as presiding officer –  adjourned the meeting after a roll call determined that 67 members present were not enough to start the session. Republicans appealed the order, moving to replace Simon as presiding officer with Rep. Paul Anderson (R). Republicans then overturned Simon’s order, declared a quorum, and elected Demuth as speaker. Democrats are expected to challenge the vote.

Ballotpedia has identified 13 noteworthy legislative walkouts since 1924. According to The Minnesota Reformer, Minnesota’s last state legislative walkout occurred in 1857. 

On Jan. 12 – two days before the chamber was scheduled to convene – House Democrats held a swearing-in ceremony at the Minnesota History Center for all Democratic representatives except one who was sworn in on Jan. 10. Hortman wrote in a statement, “In the event Democrats choose to deny quorum, we wanted to be sure to have all our members properly and legally sworn in and we did that [Jan. 12].” Demuth said, “State law is clear: swearing in happens at noon on the day the legislature convenes; any attempt to subvert that is illegitimate.”

In response to the swearing-in ceremony, the state’s Republican Party released a statement saying it was preparing recall petitions on the grounds of nonfeasance for any lawmaker who does not report to the capital for the start of the session. We have identified 15 recall campaigns in Minnesota since 2009—none were successful. Click here to learn more about Minnesota’s recall process.

Ballotpedia tracked 186 recall efforts against 168 state lawmakers nationwide from 1913 to 2024. In that time, 40 recalls made the ballot, and 22 state legislators were successfully recalled.

This isn’t the first dispute between Democrats and Republicans over control of a chamber. For more information on conflicts over partisan control of legislative chambers, see our 2022 coverage from Pennsylvania
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