The Recall

Recall elections in the United States
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 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.

[edit] Successful recalls
1916 recall of J. W. Robinson, Mayor of Boise, Idaho[4]
1921 North Dakota recall of Governor Lynn Frazier
1994 recall of officials in River Vale, New Jersey: Mayor Walter Jones, Councilwoman Patricia Geier, and Councilman Bernard Salmon[5]
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 Flint, Michigan mayor Woodrow Stanley.
2002 recall of Milwaukee County, WI Executive F. Thomas Ament (resigned before election).
2002 recall of Milwaukee County Board Chair Karen Ordinans.
2002 recall of Milwaukee, WI County Board Supervisors Penny Podell, LeAnn Launstein, David Jasenski, Kathy Arciszewski, James McGuigan, Linda Ryan.
All involved in the 2002 Milwaukee County elections were recalled due to a pension/retirement controversy.
2003 California recall of Governor Gray Davis
2005 recall of James E. West, Mayor of Spokane, Washington.

[edit] Unsuccessful recalls
1978 Cleveland Recall Election of Mayor Dennis Kucinich
2008 recall of California State Senator Jeff Denham and Paula Flint

[edit] Unsuccessful attempts to qualify recall elections
United States Senator Frank Church of Idaho was the subject of an unsuccessful recall effort in 1967.[6] Courts ruled that a federal official is not subject to state recall laws.
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.[7]