2025 Policy Development: Accountability of Elected Officials

The State of Iowa does not allow for recall elections to remove elected officials from office. A recall election is a procedure in which voters can remove an elected official from office before their term has ended, typically requiring a certain threshold of petition signatures to initiate. This may cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to over $100,000 depending on the size of the area and number of precincts the elected office covers.

Currently, elected officials in the state may only be removed by a district court, through judicial proceedings, for one of the following reasons: willful or habitual neglect or refusal to perform their duties, willful misconduct in office, corruption or extortion, conviction of a felony, intoxication or conviction of being intoxicated, some campaign finance violations, or failure to pay fines resulting from the violation of an election misconduct law.

Two options are currently available to remove elected officials through such judicial proceedings. First, the County Attorney or the Iowa Attorney General may file a petition to remove an official for any of the reasons in the above paragraph. The second option requires between five and twenty-five registered voters, depending on the office, to file a petition to district court. Those signing the petition must also post a bond to cover the costs of the removal suit.  If the final judgment does not remove the officer charged, it is likely that the bond will be forfeited. 

Currently, Iowa is one of only 11 states that do not allow recall elections for elected officials.  Indiana is the only other Midwest state that does not allow them, as all other Midwest states have a process for recall by election.  

The recall process in other states varies greatly and contains some, or all of the following components:

Recall petitions with varying amounts of signatures needed, review of validity of accusations in recall petitions, special election with costs incurred, campaigns to replace official subject to recall, additional special election if recall and placement elections are not held on the same ballot.


Discussion Questions:

  1. Is the extra time and expense of a recall effort worth removing an elected official before they stand for reelection?
  2. Should elected officials be subject to recall from their positions outside of the current reasons stated in Iowa Code?