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Florida state legislative special elections, 2026

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

Click here to read more about the special elections.

House special elections called:

Senate special elections called:

How vacancies are filled in Florida


If there is a vacancy in the Florida State Legislature, a special election must be called to fill the vacant seat.[1] The governor is responsible for calling the election and must consult with the secretary of state to set the election dates and nominating deadlines.[2] The person elected to fill the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.[3]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Florida Stat. § 100.101


About the legislature

The Florida State Legislature is the state legislature of Florida. The Florida Constitution mandates a bicameral state legislature with an upper house, the Florida State Senate, and a lower house, the Florida House of Representatives. Due to term limits, House members may be elected for up to four terms (eight years), while State Senators can be elected for up to two terms (eight years).

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).

Florida State Senate
Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
     Democratic Party 11 12
     Republican Party 28 28
     Vacancy 1 0
Total 40 40


Florida House of Representatives
Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
     Democratic Party 36 33
     Republican Party 84 86
     Vacancy 0 1
Total 120 120

Special elections

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

March 24, 2026

Historical data

There were 1,007 state legislative special elections that took place from 2010 to 2024. Florida held 32 special elections during the same time period. The largest number of special elections in Florida took place in 2015 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 November 2025, 14 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2026 in nine 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:

  • 4 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
  • 8 due to resignation
  • 2 due to the death of the incumbent

Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The partisan breakdown for the special elections is as follows:

As of November 3rd, 2025, Republicans controlled 55.4% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 43.64%. 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 830 1,120 5 18
State houses 2,393 2,972 20 28
Total: 3,223

4,092

25

46


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 5 0
     Republican Party 9 0
     Independent 0 0
Total 14 0

Flipped seats

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


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.101(2), Florida Election Code)
  2. ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.141 (1) (2), Florida Election Code)
  3. ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.111 (1) (a-c), Florida Election Code)
  4. ↑ Florida Secretary of State, "NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION FOR THE OFFICE OF STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 87," October 28, 2025
  5. ↑ The Palm Beach Post, "Governor appoints Rep. Mike Caruso, a life-long Republican, as new Palm Beach County clerk," August 19, 2025
  6. ↑ Florida Secretary of State, "NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION FOR THE OFFICE OF STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 14," October 28, 2025
  7. ↑ Patch, "State Senator, Ex-Green Beret Chosen As FL's New Lt. Gov.," August 12, 2025
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