In 2026, Ballotpedia tracked the highest number of officials targeted for recall at midyear since 2014. Between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2026, 205 recall efforts were launched against 329 elected officials across 26 states.
Michigan led the nation with 108 officials targeted for recall, accounting for nearly one-third of all officials tracked. This is the highest number of officials Ballotpedia has tracked in a single state at the midyear point. Even though the year is only half over, the figure is the third-highest annual total for Michigan since Ballotpedia began tracking recall efforts.
City council members remained the most frequently targeted officeholders, with 151 named in recall efforts. Mayors ranked second with 52, followed by school board members with 51.
Ballotpedia began tracking recalls related to data center developments in 2026. Throughout the first half of the year, 33 recall efforts targeted 58 officials over data center projects.
Several notable recall efforts took place during the first half of 2026. In Louisiana, organizers launched an effort to recall Gov. Jeff Landry (R) following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the state's congressional map, which created a second majority-Black district, was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Organizers criticized Landry's decision to suspend U.S. House primaries and sign legislation eliminating one of the state's majority-Black districts.
In California’s Imperial County, Board of Supervisors Chair Peggy Price was targeted for recall over her support for a proposed data center project, though the recall did not go to a vote. In Avenal, California, voters recalled the mayor and three city council members in April. After the city council rejected the certified election results, recall organizers filed a quo warranto action challenging the officials' authority to remain in office.
Data center proposals were also the focus of recall efforts elsewhere. In Lyon Township, Michigan, an effort is underway to recall all seven members of the township board. Organizers cited trustee pay raises and the approval of a proposed 1.8 million-square-foot data center as reasons for the recall. In Festus, Missouri, organizers sought to recall the mayor and three city council members over their support for a proposed $6 billion data center project. After the city voted not to place the recalls on the ballot, organizers filed a writ of mandamus seeking a court order requiring the elections to be held.
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