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Alabama state legislative special elections, 2026

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2026 State Legislative
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As of September, two special elections have been called to fill two vacant seats in the Alabama State Legislature.

Click here to read more about the special elections.

House special elections called:

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]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Alabama Code § 17-15-1


About the legislature

The Alabama State Legislature is the state legislature of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama State Senate, with 35 members. In the 2010 elections, Republicans gained control of both chambers for the first time since 1874.

The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the most recent general elections prior to 2025. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).

Alabama State Senate
Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
     Democratic Party 8 8
     Republican Party 27 27
Total 35 35


Alabama House of Representatives
Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
     Democratic Party 28 28
     Republican Party 73 77
     Vacancy 4 0
Total 105 105

Special elections

Click [show] to the right of the district name for more information:

January 13, 2026

February 3, 2026

Historical data

There were 1,007 state legislative special elections that took place from 2010 to 2024. Alabama held 36 special elections during the same time period. The largest number of special elections in Alabama took place in 2021 and 2024 when five special elections were held.

The table below details how many state legislative special elections were held in a state in a given year.

Special elections throughout the country

See also: State legislative special elections, 2026

As of September 2025, six state legislative special election have been scheduled for 2026 in four states. Between 2011 and 2024, an average of 70 special elections took place each year.

Breakdown of 2026 special elections

In 2026, special elections for state legislative positions are being held for the following reasons:

  • 3 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
  • 3 due to resignation


Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The partisan breakdown for the special elections is as follows:

As of September 27th, 2025, Republicans controlled 55.51% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 43.68%. Republicans held a majority in 57 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 39 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under multipartisan, power-sharing coalitions. One chamber (Minnesota House of Representatives) was split evenly between both parties.

Partisan balance of all 7,386 state legislative seats
Legislative chamber Democratic Party Republican Party Grey.png Other Vacant
State senates 834 1,122 5 12
State houses 2,392 2,978 20 23
Total: 3,226

4,100

25

35


The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2026. 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 (2026)
Party As of Special Election After Special Election
     Democratic Party 1 0
     Republican Party 5 0
     Independent 0 0
Total 6 0

Flipped seats

In 2026, as of September, no seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Ballotpedia, "Alabama Amendment 4, Legislative Vacancies Amendment (2018)," accessed March 28, 2025
  2. ↑ 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. ↑ 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
  4. ↑ Alabama Legislature, "Constitution of Alabama 2022," accessed February 26, 2025
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Office of the Governor - State of Alabama, "Governor Ivey Calls Special Election for Alabama House District 63," June 16, 2025
  6. ↑ Office of the Governor - State of Alabama, "Governor Ivey Calls Special Election for Alabama House District 13," July 11, 2025
  7. ↑ Office of the Governor - State of Alabama, "Governor Ivey Calls Special Election for Alabama House District 13," July 11, 2025
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Alabama Reflector, "Gov. Kay Ivey sets special election for east Alabama House district," August 15, 2025
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