Ballotpedia reported 205 recall efforts targeting 329 elected officials in 26 states through June 30, 2026. This count is the highest recorded for a mid-year period since Ballotpedia began tracking recall efforts in 2014.

Voters removed 8% of the targeted officials from office in the first half of 2026. This rate represents the fifth-lowest removal percentage since 2014. Seven officials defeated recall votes to remain in their positions during this period.

A total of 118 recall attempts did not qualify for the ballot by June 30, 2026, and 18 recall elections that had been scheduled were not held by that date. As of June 30, 2026, 151 officials faced active recall campaigns.

Ballotpedia tracked 58 recall efforts related to data center developments in seven states in 2026, with 33 of these occurring in the first half of the year. In Imperial County, California, proponents of a proposed data center project initiated a recall effort against Board of Supervisors Chair Peggy Price. The effort focused on her vote to approve a property merger for data center development.

In Lyon, Michigan, an effort is underway to recall all seven members of the Township Board of Trustees. Organizers said the recall effort was launched in response to a proposed 1.8 million-square-foot data center project known as Project Flex. The recall petitions also cited the board's January 2026 vote to approve trustee pay raises as grounds for removal. Petitioners must gather 3,000 valid signatures for each official by July 31, 2026, to place these recalls on the November ballot.

An effort to recall the mayor and three city council members of Festus, Missouri, commenced in April 2026, in response to their support for a proposed $6 billion data center project. Although petitioners in Festus submitted enough signatures to meet legal requirements, the city council voted not to place the recalls on the ballot. The council determined that the petitions did not allege unlawful conduct by the targeted officials.

City council members were the most frequent targets for recall in the first half of 2026, accounting for 151 of the 329 officials named. Michigan had 108 officials targeted for recall in the first half of 2026, marking the highest number tracked in a single state at the midyear point since Ballotpedia began its tracking efforts. California listed 48 officials and Oregon had 33 officials targeted for recall during this same period.