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Michigan state legislative special elections, 2026

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2026 State Legislative
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As of September, one special election has been called to fill a vacant seat in the Michigan State Legislature.

Click here to read more about the special elections.

House special elections called:

How vacancies are filled in Michigan


If there is a vacancy in the Michigan State Legislature, the governor must call for a special election to fill the vacancy or direct that the vacancy be filled at the next general election.[1][2]

If the vacancy happens after the statewide primary election, the party organizations in the district select the party's nominee. The nominee must be voted on no later than 21 days after the vacancy occurred and at least 10 days before the general election.[3]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Michigan Const. Art. 5, § 13


About the legislature

The Michigan Legislature is the state legislature of Michigan. It is organized as a bicameral institution consisting of the Michigan Senate, the upper house with 38 members, and the House of Representatives, the lower house with 110 members.

The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the most recent general elections prior to 2026. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).

Michigan State Senate
Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
     Democratic Party 16 20
     Republican Party 22 18
Total 38 38
Michigan House of Representatives
Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
     Democratic Party 56 52
     Republican Party 54 58
Total 110 110

Special elections

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

May 5, 2026

Historical data

There were 1,007 state legislative special elections that took place from 2010 to 2024. Michigan held 24 special elections during the same time period. The largest number of special elections in Michigan took place in 2016 when six 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, five state legislative special election have been scheduled for 2026 in three 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
  • 2 due to resignation


Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The partisan breakdown for the special elections is as follows:

As of September 6th, 2025, Republicans controlled 55.48% 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 1,121 5 13
State houses 2,392 2,977 20 24
Total: 3,226

4,098

25

37


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 4 0
     Independent 0 0
Total 5 0

Flipped seats

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


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Statute 168.178, Michigan Compiled Laws," accessed February 12, 2021
  2. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Constitution of Michigan of 1963, Article 5, Section 13," accessed February 12, 2021
  3. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Statute 168.634 (1)-(2), Michigan Compiled Laws," accessed May 22, 2014
  4. ↑ Governor of Michigan, "Special Election Letter," accessed on September 3, 2025
  5. ↑ WLNS, "Whitmer calls special election for vacant Michigan Senate seat," August 29, 2025
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