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Alaska state legislative special elections, 2020

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In 2020, one special election was called for a seat in the Alaska State Senate.

Click here to read more about the special election.

Senate special elections called:

How vacancies are filled in Alaska


If there is a vacancy in the Alaska State Legislature, the governor is responsible for selecting a replacement. The governor must select the replacement within 30 days after the vacancy happens. Nevertheless, if the predecessor's term is set to expire or if a special election is scheduled to fill a vacancy in the state Senate before the legislature reconvenes, the governor is not authorized to appoint someone to fill the vacancy.[1]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Alaska Stat. §15.40.320


About the legislature

The Alaska State Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of Alaska. It is a bicameral institution, consisting of the lower Alaska House of Representatives, with 40 members, and the upper house Alaska State Senate, with 20 members.

The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the most recent general elections prior to 2020. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).

Alaska State Senate
Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
     Democratic Party 6 7
     Republican Party 14 13
Total 20 20
Alaska House of Representatives
Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
     Democratic Party 17 16
     Republican Party 20 23
     Independent 3 1
Total 40 40

Special elections

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

November 3, 2020


Special elections throughout the country

See also: State legislative special elections, 2020

In 2020, 55 state legislative special elections were held in 26 states. Four special elections were canceled in New York due to the coronavirus pandemic. Between 2011 and 2019, an average of 77 special elections took place each year.

Breakdown of 2020 special elections

In 2020, special elections for state legislative positions were held for the following reasons:

  • 23 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
  • 5 due to a resignation related to criminal charges[4]
  • 18 due to retirement
  • 13 due to the death of the incumbent

Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:

The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2020. 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 2019, either the Democratic Party or Republican Party saw an average net gain of four seats across the country. Between 2018 and 2019, Democrats had a net gain of six seats.

Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not the total number of vacant seats.

Partisan Change from Special Elections (2020)
Party As of Special Election After Special Election
     Democratic Party 21 27
     Republican Party 38 32
     Independent 0 0
Total 59 59

Flipped seats

In 2020, eight seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.

Seats flipped from D to R

Seats flipped from R to D


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Alaska State Legislature, " Sec. 15.40.320. Condition and time for filling vacancy by appointment," accessed February 8, 2021 (Statute 15.40.320)
  2. ↑ Anchorage Daily News, "Republicans confirm state Rep. Josh Revak for vacant Senate seat," November 3, 2019
  3. ↑ US News & World Report, "Republican Alaska State Sen. Chris Birch Dies," August 8, 2019
  4. ↑ Arkansas State Rep. Mickey Gates (R) was expelled by a vote of the House membership.
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