Along with the initiative, the referendum, and the direct primary, the recall election was one of the major electoral reforms advocated by leaders of the Progressive movement in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, although it was initially proposed in William S. U'Ren's Oregon newspaper. Recall elections do not take place at the federal level. The majority of states allow recall elections in local jurisdictions, but only eighteen states permit recall elections to remove state officials.^[3]

Only two governors have ever been successfully recalled. In 1921, Lynn Frazier, Governor of North Dakota, was recalled during a dispute about state-owned industries, and in 2003, Governor Gray Davis of California was recalled over the state budget.

In Alaska, Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Rhode Island, and Washington, specific grounds are required for a recall. Some form of malfeasance or misconduct while in office must be identified by the petitioners. The target may choose to dispute the validity of the grounds in court, and a court then judges whether the allegations in the petition rise to a level where a recall is necessary. In the November 2010 general election, Illinois passed a referendum to amend the state constitution to allow a recall in light of ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich's corruption scandal. In the other eleven states that permit state-wide recall, no grounds are required and recall petitions may be circulated for any reason. However, the target is permitted to submit responses to the stated reasons for recall.

The minimum number of signatures and the time limit to qualify a recall vary between states. In addition, the handling of recalls once they qualify differs. In some states, a recall triggers a simultaneous special election, where the vote on the recall, as well as the vote on the replacement if the recall succeeds, are on the same ballot. In the 2003 California recall election, over 100 candidates appeared on the replacement portion of the ballot. In other states, a separate special election is held after the target is recalled, or a replacement is appointed by the Governor or some other state authority.

Successful recalls

• 1911 recall of Hiram Gill, mayor of Seattle, Washington
• 1916 recall of J. W. Robinson, mayor of Boise, Idaho
• 1921 recall of Lynn Frazier, governor of North Dakota
• 1983 recall of Michigan state senators Phil Mastin and David Serotkin due to their support for a state income tax hike. Loss of these two Democratic lawmakers, along with two special elections won by Republicans, flipped the state senate to GOP control, where it has remained ever since (as of January 2010.)
• 1987 recall of Mike Boyle, mayor of Omaha, Nebraska.
• 1987 recall of James Holley, mayor of Portsmouth, Virginia
• 1994 recall of officials in River Vale, New Jersey: Mayor Walter Jones, Councilwoman Patricia Geier, and Councilman Bernard Salmon
• 1995 recall of California State Assemblyman Paul Horcher
• 1995 recall of California State Assembly Speaker Doris Allen
• 1996 recall of Wisconsin State Senator George Petak
• 2002 recall of Woodrow Stanley, mayor of Flint, Michigan.
• 2002 recall of multiple Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, elected county officials including Executive F. Thomas Ament (resigned before election); Board Chair Karen Ordinans; and Board Supervisors Penny Podell, LeAnn Launstein, David Jasenski, Kathy Arciszewski, James McGuigan, and Linda Ryan. All were recalled due to a retirement pension controversy.
• 2003 recall of Gray Davis, governor of California
• 2003 recall of Wisconsin State Senator Gary George
• 2005 recall of James E. West, mayor of Spokane, Washington.
• 2006 recall of Neil Marko, mayor of Roosevelt, New Jersey.
• 2010 recall of James Holley, mayor of Portsmouth, Virginia.
• 2011 recall of Carlos Alvarez, mayor of Miami, Florida.

 Unsuccessful recalls

• 1978 Cleveland Recall Election of Mayor Dennis Kucinich
• 2008 recall of California State Senator Jeff Denham
• In 2009, a petition for the recall of San Jose, California city Council member Madison Nguyen obtained enough signatures to qualify the recall for the ballot; but the subsequent recall election failed.
• 2010 recall of Mayor Anthony R. Suarez in Ridgefield, New Jersey
• 2011 recall of Omaha Nebraska Mayor Jim Suttle

 Unsuccessful attempts to qualify recall elections

• United States Senator Frank Church of Idaho was the subject of an unsuccessful recall effort in 1967. Courts ruled that a federal official is not subject to state recall laws. See also the similar unsuccessful effort in 2009 to recall Anh "Joseph" Cao, U.S. representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district.
• Evan Mecham, Governor of Arizona, was scheduled for a recall election on May 17, 1988 after a successful petition drive (301,000 signatures). However, the Supreme Court of Arizona canceled the election, since Mecham had already been impeached and removed from office by the Senate on April 4.
• In 2009 a petition failed to garner sufficient signatures to oblige an election for recall of Eddie Price III, mayor of Mandeville, Louisiana.
• In 2009 a petition for recall of Stacy Head, New Orleans city councilwoman, likewise failed to gain the requisite number of signatures.
• In 2010 there were two unsuccessful recall petitions for Sam Adams mayor of Portland, OR.
• In 2010 there was one unsuccessful recall petition for Lisa Poppaw city council member of Fort Collins, CO.
• In 2010 there was one unsuccessful recall petition for Antonio Villaraigosa mayor of Los Angeles, CA.
• In 2010, a recall proposal aimed at mayor Ron Littlefield of Chattanooga, Tennessee failed after a judge of the Hamilton County, Tennessee circuit court ruled that too many of the petition signatures were invalid and that the petitioners had failed to properly adhere to the state's recall law.