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Pennsylvania state legislative special elections, 2021

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2021 State Legislative
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In 2021, six special elections were called to fill vacant seats in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Click here to read more about the special elections.

Senate special elections called:

House special elections called:

How vacancies are filled in Pennsylvania


If there is a vacancy in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. The presiding officer in the house where the vacancy happened must call for an election. There are no deadlines set in the state constitution on when a special election can be held.[1]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Pennsylvania Cons. Art. II, §2


About the legislature

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is a bicameral body composed of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, with 203 members, and the Pennsylvania State Senate, with 50 members.

The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the most recent general elections prior to 2021. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).


Pennsylvania State Senate
Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
     Democratic Party 21 21
     Republican Party 28 28
     Independent 1 1
Total 50 50


Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
     Democratic Party 93 90
     Republican Party 109 113
     Vacancy 1 0
Total 203 203


Special elections

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

May 18, 2021


November 2, 2021


Special elections throughout the country

See also: State legislative special elections, 2021

In 2021, 66 state legislative special elections were held in 21 states. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 75 special elections took place each year.

Breakdown of 2021 special elections

In 2021, special elections for state legislative positions were held for the following reasons:

  • 27 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
  • 23 due to resignation
  • 4 due to a resignation related to criminal charges
  • 12 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 2021. 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 2020, either the Democratic Party or Republican Party saw an average net gain of four seats across the country.

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

Partisan Change from Special Elections (2021)
Party As of Special Election After Special Election
     Democratic Party 33 33
     Republican Party 33 33
     Independent 0 0
Total 66 66

Flipped seats

In 2021, six 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. ↑ State of Pennsylvania, "Pennsylvania Constitution," accessed February 15, 2021 (Article II, Section 2)
  2. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Calendar for the Special Election for the Senator in the General Election Assembly for the 22nd Senatorial District," accessed March 18, 2021
  3. ↑ The Citizens Voice, "Blake to resign state Senate seat for post with Cartwright," February 16, 2021
  4. ↑ Fox 43, "Lt. Gov. John Fetterman signs writ calling for special election to fill vacant senate district seat," January 26, 2021
  5. ↑ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State, "CALENDAR FOR THE SPECIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD MAY 18, 2021," accessed February 15, 2021
  6. ↑ Senator Dave Arnold PA, "Announcement on the Passing of Senator David J. Arnold, Jr.," January 17, 2021
  7. ↑ Politics PA, "State Sen. Dave Arnold Dies at 49," January 17, 2021
  8. ↑ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State, "CALENDAR FOR THE SPECIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD MAY 18, 2021," accessed February 15, 2021
  9. ↑ Trib Live, "State Rep. Mike Reese of Mt. Pleasant Township dead at 42," January 2, 2021
  10. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Calendar for the Special Election for the Representative in the General Assembly for the 60th Legislative District," accessed March 18, 2021
  11. ↑ PoliticsPA, "Pyle Retires Today Citing Health Issues," March 16, 2021
  12. ↑ Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus, "Speaker Announces Special Election for the 113th District," June 9, 2021
  13. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Calendar for the Special Election for the Representative in the General Assembly for the 113th Legislative District," accessed June 25, 2021
  14. ↑ Rep. Cutler, "Speaker Announces Special Election for the 164th District," accessed August 3, 2021
  15. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Calendar for the Special Election for the Representative in the General Assembly for the 164th Legislative District," accessed August 13, 2021
  16. ↑ Politics PA, "Davidson Charged With Theft, Will Resign from State House," July 22, 2021
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