Frank White Jr. ousted as Jackson County executive in historic recall election
The voters of Jackson County have spoken: Frank White Jr is out.
The beset county executive, formerly a Hall of Fame-awarded baseball player on the Kansas City Royals, will be removed from office after an overwhelming majority of 85.2% of voters moved to recall him Tuesday night, according to unofficial results from the city and county election boards.
In Kansas City limits, 17,593 of 23,262 votes, or 75.6%, were in favor of recalling White. In the rest of Jackson County, 46,876 of 52,431, or 89.4%, were in favor of recalling White.
The election to recall White, which cost $2 million from the Jackson County general fund, was jointly administered by the Kansas City and Jackson County election boards.
Tuesday’s vote effectively represents the end of White’s tenure as county executive.
The athlete-turned-politician has stated publicly that he does not plan to re-run for his seat in 2026.
Final results pending
Voter turnout for the recall election was low, about 10% in Kansas City limits and about 20% in eastern Jackson County. In Kansas City, 23,262 residents turned up to weigh in on White’s status, representing 10.6% of registered voters in the city.
Participation was higher in the rest of the county, where 52,431 ballots were counted, representing 20.6% of registered voters.
Lauri Ealom, Democratic Director of the Kansas City Election Board, described the lackluster participation as “awful” but said she has historically seen low engagement from Kansas City voters.
“I’ve been disappointed in the voter turnout pretty much my whole career,” Ealom said.
White, a Democrat, has been county executive since 2016. He took on the role initially in an interim capacity to succeed Fred Arbanas in replacing Mike Sanders, who went to federal prison shortly after stepping down from the seat.
When White was last re-elected in 2022, he received just over 55% of the vote, beating Republican challenger Teresa Galvin by a margin of 117,778 to 95,217.
The original signature threshold for the recall petition submitted in June was 42,900 signatures, which represented 20% of these votes.
The results will be considered finalized as soon as they are certified by both the Kansas City and Jackson County election boards. Sara Zorich, Democratic director of the Jackson County Election Board, said that the boards expect to certify results early next week, at which point the seat of County Executive will officially be vacant.
Absentee ballots from military and overseas voters are due Friday at noon and will factor into the final certified total.
“We understand that everyone is anxious for results,” Zorich said.
Once results are certified, Jackson County legislature chair DaRon McGee will appoint a temporary replacement. The legislature will have 30 days to either approve that nominee or select another temporary county executive to lead until 2027.
If they fail to come to an agreement by majority vote, the decision will be passed to a Jackson County judge.
Before the recall
About half of the signatures that prompted White’s recall were collected in a grassroots effort led by Jackson County residents concentrated east of Kansas City limits. The other half were collected across the county as part of a coordinated effort by Democracy in Action, a “dark money” political action group whose funding sources are not publicly disclosed.
The recall effort formalized into an election process in late June, when JCEB and KCEB certified the signatures. An extended series of legal battles followed disputing the timeline for the election, which a Jackson County judge ultimately set for Sept. 30th.
White and his supporters have said they feel he’s being scapegoated as punishment for standing in the way of an effort to pass a county sales tax for the Kansas City Chiefs’ and Royals’ stadiums.
In the final days leading up to Election Day, he spoke out publicly more than in recent months to warn potential voters that whoever succeeded him would be worse for the county, which he says is already facing a growing divide between the legislative and executive branches, as well as between Kansas City limits and the rest of the county.
Meanwhile, White’s critics, including several legislators and a coalition of nonprofits, have criticized his handling of various county issues including a dramatic uptick in residential and commercial property assessment values, a six-month delay on the passage of the 2025 budget, alleged mismanagement of federal funding and poor relations with legislators.
Both groups have leveled various accusations of disrespect, poor sportsmanship or bullying tactics at each other in the weeks leading up to the election.
Administrators, legislators react
In a statement issued Tuesday night, White said he respected voters’ decision to recall him but alluded to continued skepticism about the circumstances surrounding the successful recall effort.
“Serving as County Executive has been one of the greatest honors of my life, and I am proud of what we have accomplished together to strengthen our community,” White said. “While questions remain about the process that led to this election, I will move forward guided by gratitude for all this community has given me and by the drive to do what is right.”
Others around Jackson County were vocal about the results of the recall.
DaRon McGee, chair of the Jackson County Legislature, described the recall vote as a “serious and sobering moment” for Jackson County representing a new chapter in county government.
“Now, we begin the work of moving forward,” said McGee. “The task of selecting a new county executive is serious. It is not just about filling a seat. It is about restoring trust… . I have full confidence in my colleagues on the legislature to meet this moment with the seriousness it deserves.”
White has publicly named McGee as someone he believes is likely to seek a nomination as temporary county executive. McGee has not spoken publicly about his plans regarding the role, but in response to criticism from White about his character and leadership style, has said that his record as two-time county legislature chair speaks for itself.
Ealom from the Kansas City Election Board said she was not surprised by the results of the recall.
“I believe that the ballot box is where your voice is heard, and tabulation is an amplification of that,” Ealom said. “I will say that it was a great team. It’s wonderful working with a wonderful team that can pull off anything in a short period of time.”
The Kansas City Election Board operated 40 polling places for the recall election, representing 216,733 registered voters.
During the recall election, the Jackson County election board operated polling places across 14 sub-districts and towns. The JCEB was not available by phone for comment Tuesday evening.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas called White’s path into politics “remarkable” and extended well-wishes on “the next phase of his journey.”
“As the largest city in Jackson County, Kansas City will work closely with the interim county executive, the legislature, and their team as we all work to ensure progress and fairness for the county, the city, and our taxpayers,” Lucas said in a statement Tuesday night.
Stacy Lake, who is running for the next County Executive four-year term starting January 2027, described the recall Tuesday night as a “clear sign” that residents are seeking greater accountability from county officials.
“The voters have made it clear today that Jackson County is ready to move forward from Frank White’s leadership,” Lake said in a statement. “Today’s outcome does not change things for Jackson County families who are still struggling. I will keep fighting for a New Jackson County that works for everyone.”
What is a county executive?
Procedures for how to recall a county official were added to the Jackson County charter in 2023, but the role of county executive has existed for much longer.
According to Jackson County, the county executive acts as the chief administrator for the county. The official serves four-year terms, and the seat has been a Democrat stronghold since the position was established in 1970.
The executive is also responsible for appointing the directors of every county department except for the county auditor and county clerk, both of whom are appointed by the legislature.
A ballot measure scheduled for Nov. 4 will ask voters whether they want to change the role of county assessor – one of the posts currently nominated by the executive – to a publicly elected role starting in 2027.
Whenever legislators pass an ordinance by simple majority, the county executive has 10 days to exercise veto power if they choose. At that point, legislators must vote on it again and would have to achieve a supermajority of six votes to three to overturn the veto.
Last-ditch efforts
Both supporters and opponents of the push to recall White continued their efforts well into Tuesday, taking every opportunity to show residents that county leaders considered tonight’s vote to be a high-stakes decision.
White filed a writ with the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District late Friday afternoon to try to stall the vote, maintaining that Tuesday was not an authorized election date under Missouri law. A Missouri judge denied the petition Monday afternoon, and White filed another writ with the Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday on the same grounds.
White also met with Parks and Recreation staff Tuesday morning after a body was found in a Jackson County park, publicly offering his support to the loved ones of the deceased.
Meanwhile, at a Tuesday morning meeting of the Jackson County legislature, legislator Manny Abarca brought up the recall during a discussion of setting the 2025 county tax levy rate. Abarca, who has publicly clashed with White ahead of the recall but has said he will not seek appointment himself as temporary executive, remarked that discussions about the levy rate have been somewhat sidelined or overlooked with the recall drawing legislators’ focus.
Abarca also said that keeping levy rates as consistent as possible to last year could be good for optics at a touchy time in county government.
“Given the tenuous situation we’re in with the recall afoot right now… it’s prudent for us to hold the line,” Abarca said.
This story was originally published September 30, 2025 at 9:23 PM.
