Alabama state legislative special elections, 2019
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In 2019, two special elections were called to fill vacant seats in the Alabama State Legislature. Click here to read more about the special elections.
House special elections called:
- District 42: November 5
- District 74: November 12
How vacancies are filled in Alabama
If there is a vacancy in the Alabama State Legislature, a special election must generally be conducted in order to fill the vacant seat. In the event that a vacancy occurs on or after October 1 in the year of a regular election, the seat will remain vacant until filled at the regular election. Otherwise, the governor must call for a special election if the vacancy happens before the next scheduled general election and the Legislature is in session.[1][2][3] The governor has all discretion in setting the date of the election along with the nominating deadlines.[3][4]
See sources: Alabama Code § 17-15-1
About the legislature
The Alabama State Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama State Senate, with 35 members. The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the November 2018 general election. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).
Alabama State Senate | |||
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Party | As of November 6, 2018 | After November 7, 2018 | |
Democratic Party | 8 | 8 | |
Republican Party | 26 | 27 | |
Independent | 1 | 0 | |
Total | 35 | 35 |
Alabama House of Representatives | |||
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Party | As of November 6, 2018 | After November 7, 2018 | |
Democratic Party | 32 | 28 | |
Republican Party | 72 | 77 | |
Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
Total | 105 | 105 |
Special elections
Click [show] to the right of the district name for more information:
November 5, 2019
Alabama House of Representatives District 42 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A special election for District 42 of the Alabama House of Representatives took place on November 5, 2019. A primary was held on August 20, 2019. The general election was originally scheduled for January 20, 2020. Becuase primary runoffs weren't necessary, the general election date was changed to November 5, 2019. The filing deadline for major party candidates was June 18, 2019. Independent and minor party candidates had until August 20, 2019, to file.[5] The seat became vacant when James Martin (R) died on May 31, 2019.[6] General electionSpecial general election for Alabama House of Representatives District 42Ivan Smith defeated Kenneth Allison Sr. in the special general election for Alabama House of Representatives District 42 on November 5, 2019.
Democratic primary electionThe Democratic primary election was canceled. Kenneth Allison Sr. advanced from the special Democratic primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 42. Republican primary electionSpecial Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 42Ivan Smith defeated Jimmie Hardee, Allen Caton, and Shannon Welch in the special Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 42 on August 20, 2019.
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November 12, 2019
Alabama House of Representatives District 74 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A special election for District 74 of the Alabama House of Representatives took place on November 12, 2019. A primary was held on June 11, 2019. A primary runoff was held on August 27, 2019. The filing deadline for major party candidates was April 9, 2019. Independent candidates had until June 11, 2019, to file.[7] The seat became vacant when Dimitri Polizos (R) died of a heart attack on March 27, 2019.[8] General electionSpecial general election for Alabama House of Representatives District 74Charlotte Meadows defeated Rayford Mack in the special general election for Alabama House of Representatives District 74 on November 12, 2019.
Republican primary runoff electionSpecial Republican primary runoff for Alabama House of Representatives District 74Charlotte Meadows defeated Michael Fritz in the special Republican primary runoff for Alabama House of Representatives District 74 on August 27, 2019.
Democratic primary electionSpecial Democratic primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 74Rayford Mack advanced from the special Democratic primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 74 on June 11, 2019.
Republican primary electionSpecial Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 74The following candidates ran in the special Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 74 on June 11, 2019.
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Special elections throughout the country
In 2019, 77 state legislative special elections were held in 24 states. Between 2011 and 2018, an average of 77 special elections took place each year.
Breakdown of 2019 special elections
In 2019, special elections for state legislative positions were held for the following reasons:
- 47 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
- 21 due to a retirement
- 6 due to the death of the incumbent
- 1 due to a resignation related to criminal charges
- 2 due to an election being rerun
Impact of special elections on partisan composition
The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:
- 39 Democratic seats
- 38 Republican seats
The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2019. 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. In elections between 2011 and 2018, either the Democratic Party or Republican Party saw an average net gain of four seats across the country. Between 2017 and 2018, Democrats had a net gain of 19 seats.
Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not the total number of vacant seats.
Partisan Change from Special Elections (2019) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | As of Special Election | After Special Election | |
Democratic Party | 39 | 36 | |
Republican Party | 38 | 40 | |
Independent | 0 | 1 | |
Total | 77 | 77 |
Flipped seats
In 2019, eight seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.
Seats flipped from D to R
- Minnesota State Senate District 11 (February 5)
- Connecticut State Senate District 6 (February 26)
- Connecticut House of Representatives District 99 (February 26)
- Kentucky State Senate District 31 (March 5)
- New Jersey State Senate District 1 (November 5)
Seats flipped from R to D
- Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 (April 2)
- Missouri House of Representatives District 99 (November 5)
Seats flipped from R to I
State profile
- See also: Alabama and Alabama elections, 2019
Partisan data
The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019
Presidential voting pattern
- Alabama voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2018 elections, one U.S. Senator from Alabama was a Democrat and one was a Republican.
- Alabama had one Democratic and six Republican U.S. Representatives.
Alabama executives
- Republicans held 11 of Alabama's 15 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
- Alabama's governor was Republican Kay Ivey.
Alabama legislature
- Republicans controlled the Alabama State Senate with a 27-8 majority.
- Republicans controlled the Alabama House of Representatives with a 76-28 majority, while one seat was vacant.
Alabama Party Control: 1992-2025
Six years of Democratic trifectas • Fifteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
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Demographic data for Alabama | ||
---|---|---|
Alabama | U.S. | |
Total population: | 4,853,875 | 316,515,021 |
Land area (sq mi): | 50,645 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White: | 68.8% | 73.6% |
Black/African American: | 26.4% | 12.6% |
Asian: | 1.2% | 5.1% |
Native American: | 0.5% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Two or more: | 1.7% | 3% |
Hispanic/Latino: | 4% | 17.1% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate: | 84.3% | 86.7% |
College graduation rate: | 23.5% | 29.8% |
Income | ||
Median household income: | $43,623 | $53,889 |
Persons below poverty level: | 23.3% | 11.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Alabama. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
See also
- State legislative special elections, 2019
- State legislative special elections, 2018
- State legislative special elections, 2017
- State legislative special elections, 2016
- Alabama State Legislature
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia, "Alabama Amendment 4, Legislative Vacancies Amendment (2018)," accessed March 28, 2025
- ↑ Justia US Law, "2023 Code of Alabama Title 17 - Elections. Chapter 15 - Special Elections. Section 17-15-1 - When and for What Offices Held." accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Justia US Law, "2023 Code of Alabama Title 17 - Elections. Chapter 15 - Special Elections. Section 17-15-3 - Special Elections Ordered by Governor." accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ Alabama Legislature, "Constitution of Alabama 2022," accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ AL.com, "Gov. Kay Ivey sets special election to fill Jimmy Martin’s House seat," June 11, 2019
- ↑ Montgomery Advertiser, "Veteran state lawmaker Jimmy Martin dies," May 31, 2019
- ↑ Montgomery Adviser, "Ivey calls special election for Montgomery House seat," April 1, 2019
- ↑ Montgomery Adviser, "Dimitri Polizos, state representative and small business champion, dies," March 27, 2019
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