State legislative special elections, 2024
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As of September 2024, 52 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2024 in 22 states. Between 2011 and 2023, an average of 68 special elections took place each year. See the sections below for additional information on state legislative special elections in 2024.
- Causes: This section provides information on why special elections are held.
- Partisan control: This section provides information on the impact of special elections on the partisan composition of state legislatures.
- Special elections by date: This section lists all special elections held in 2024 in the order they were held.
- Historical data: This section contains data on special elections going back to 2010.
- See also: State legislative elections, 2024
Causes
In 2024, special elections for state legislative positions are being held for the following reasons:
- 31 due to resignation
- 11 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
- 4 due to the death of the incumbent
- 6 due to redistricting
Partisan control
The partisan breakdown for the special elections is as follows:
- 25 Democratic seats
- 27 Republican seats
As of September 2nd, 2024, Republicans controlled 54.86% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 44.25%. Republicans held a majority in 56 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 41 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under multipartisan, power-sharing coalitions.
Partisan balance of all 7,386 state legislative seats | ||||||||
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Legislative chamber | ![]() |
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Vacant | ||||
State senates | 844 | 1,114 | 4 | 11 | ||||
State houses | 2,424 | 2,938 | 19 | 32 | ||||
Total: | 3,268
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4,052
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23
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43 |
Noteworthy special elections
Special elections by date
Vacancies
Partisan breakdown of vacancies
- See also: State legislative vacancies, 2024
As of September 2024, there have been 94 state legislative vacancies in 33 states.
The process for filling vacancies varies among the state legislatures. Twenty-five states fill vacancies in the state legislature through special elections. Twenty-one states fill vacancies through appointments, and four states fill vacancies through a hybrid system that uses both appointments and special elections. The most common reasons for a state legislative vacancy include officeholders resigning, dying, leaving for a new job, being elected or appointed to a different office, or receiving a legal conviction.
The table below details the partisan breakdown for state legislative vacancies in 2024. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party held after the special elections and appointments took place.
Partisan breakdown of the vacancies (2024) | |||
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Party | As of vacancy | After vacancy | |
Democratic Party | |||
Republican Party | |||
Independent | |||
Total | 94 | 55 |
Seats that changed party control
The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2024. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections.
Note: This table reflects information for elections that have been held and not the total number of vacant seats.
Partisan Change from Special Elections (2024) | |||
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Party | As of Special Election | After Special Election | |
Democratic Party | 25 | 16 | |
Republican Party | 26 | 16 | |
Independent | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 51 | 32 |
Flipped seats
In 2024, as of January 16, one seat has flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.
Seats flipped from D to R
Seats flipped from R to D
- Florida House of Representatives District 35 (January 16)
- Alabama House of Representatives District 10 (March 26)
Historical data
State breakdown by year
The table below details how many state legislative special elections were held in a state in a given year. From 2010 to 2023, Georgia held the most state legislative special elections with 79. Pennsylvania held the second-most special elections with 65.
Partisan breakdown by year
The average number of special elections per even year between 2011 and 2023 (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022) was 61, while the average per odd year was 80. The most special elections in a single year during that same time frame was 99, which happened in 2018.
The table below details how many state legislative seats changed parties as the result of a special election between 2011 and 2023. The numbers on the left side of the table reflect how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the numbers on the right side of the table show how many vacant seats each party won in special elections.
State legislative special election vacancies and results, 2011-2023 | ||||||||
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Year | Total elections held | Vacancies before elections | Seats held after elections | Net change | ||||
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Minor party | ![]() |
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Minor party | |||
2023 | 53 | 33 | 20 | 0 | 33 | 20 | 0 | - |
2022 | 54 | 36 | 18 | 0 | 36 | 18 | 0 | - |
2021 | 66 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 33 | 33 | 0 | - |
2020 | 59 | 21 | 38 | 0 | 27 | 32 | 0 | +6 D, -6 R |
2019 | 77 | 39 | 38 | 0 | 36 | 40 | 1 | -3 D, +2 R, +1 I |
2018 | 99 | 42 | 57 | 0 | 50 | 49 | 0 | +8 D, -8 R |
2017 | 98 | 45 | 53 | 0 | 56 | 42 | 0 | +11 D, -11 R |
2016* | 65 | 37 | 28 | 0 | 39 | 24 | 2 | +2 D, -4 R |
2015* | 89 | 42 | 46 | 1 | 38 | 50 | 1 | -4 D, +4 R |
2014 | 40 | 22 | 18 | 0 | 19 | 21 | 0 | -3 D, +3 R |
2013 | 84 | 51 | 33 | 0 | 48 | 36 | 0 | -3 D, +3 R |
2012 | 46 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 25 | 21 | 0 | +2 D, -2 R |
2011* | 95 | 49 | 45 | 1 | 46 | 48 | 1 | -3 D, +3 R |
Averages | 71 | 36 | 35 | K.A. | 37 | 35 | K.A. | K.A. |
*Please see the year-specific pages for information regarding minor-party candidates. |
Seats that changed partisan control by year
Current as of January 10, 2024 (updated annually)
Since 2010, 116 state legislative seats have switched partisan control, or flipped, in special elections. The chart below shows the number of special elections that resulted in partisan changes in each year:
Flipped seats in state legislative special elections | |||||
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Year | Total special elections | Total flips | Democratic flips | Republican flips | Other flips |
2023 | 53 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
2022 | 54 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
2021 | 66 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
2020 | 59 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
2019 | 77 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
2018 | 99 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
2017 | 98 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0 |
2016 | 65 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
2015 | 89 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 2 |
2014 | 40 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
2013 | 84 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
2012 | 46 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
2011 | 95 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
2010 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 955 | 116 | 62 | 48 | 6 |
Click here to see a list of all state legislative seats that have changed partisan control in special elections since 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Days between vacancies and elections by year
The following table tracks the gap between when state legislative vacancies occurred and special elections were held from 2012 through August 16, 2024:
See also
- Regular state legislative elections: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
- Special state legislative elections: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ Mai Xiong campaign website, "Home page," accessed February 1, 2024
- ↑ Macomb Daily, "Xiong, Singer win 13th House district primaries," January 31, 2024
- ↑ Michigan Advance, "Here’s your look at the candidates for Michigan’s two empty state House seats," November 28, 2023
- ↑ Peter Herzberg, "About Me," accessed February 1, 2024
- ↑ Information submitted via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on January 10, 2024.
- ↑ Candidates running for special elections in Connecticut are nominated through party conventions.
- ↑ If an elected senator leaves office after the primary filing period and a special election is called to fill the seat, only a candidate of the same party can be slated for the November ballot.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 The seat is up for special election after U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota Judge Peter Welte ruled that North Dakota had to redraw the District 9 and 15 boundaries. The seats were not scheduled to be up for election until 2026.
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