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South Carolina state legislative special elections, 2026

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

Click here to read more about the special elections.

House special elections called:

How vacancies are filled in South Carolina


If there is a vacancy in the South Carolina Legislature, the presiding officer of the chamber in which the vacancy happens must call for a special election. If candidates plan to seek the nomination through a political party primary or a political party convention, the filing period begins on the third Friday after the vacancy occurs. The qualifying deadline is eight days after the filing period opens.[1]

If a candidate plans to seek the nomination via petition, all signatures must be submitted to the appropriate filing officer no later than 60 days before the election. All signatures must be verified by the filing officer no later than 45 days before the election.[2]

A primary election must be held on the eleventh Tuesday after the vacancy occurs. If necessary, a primary runoff must be held on the thirteenth Tuesday after the vacancy occurs. The special election is held on the twentieth Tuesday after the vacancy occurs. If the twentieth Tuesday after the vacancy occurs is less than 60 days prior to the general election, the special election must be held on the same day as the general election.[2][3]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: South Carolina Const. Art. III, § 25 and South Carolina Code Ann. § 7-13-190


About the legislature

The South Carolina State Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the South Carolina House of Representatives, with 124 members, and the South Carolina State Senate, with 46 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).

South Carolina State Senate
Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
     Democratic Party 15 12
     Republican Party 30 34
     Independent 1 0
Total 46 46
South Carolina House of Representatives
Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
     Democratic Party 35 34
     Republican Party 88 88
     Vacancy 1 2
Total 124 124

Special elections

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

January 6, 2026

Historical data

There were 1,007 state legislative special elections that took place from 2010 to 2024. South Carolina held 39 special elections during the same time period. The largest number of special elections in South Carolina took place in 2017 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, 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. ↑ South Carolina State Legislature, "South Carolina Code," accessed February 17, 2021 (Statute 7-13-190 (A)-(B))
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 South Carolina State Legislature, "South Carolina Code," accessed February 17, 2021 (Statute 7-13-190 (B))
  3. ↑ South Carolina State Legislature, "South Carolina Constitution," accessed February 17, 2021 (Article 3, Section 25)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 South Carolina Daily Gazette, "Dorchester County legislator resigns from SC House seat," August 20, 2025
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