Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.

Virginia state legislative special elections, 2021

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge-smaller use.png
Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • State executive offices • State House • Special state legislative • Local ballot measures • Municipal • How to run for office
Flag of Virginia.png


2022 →
← 2020
SLP badge.png
2021 State Legislative
Special Elections
Special Elections Information
Breakdown • Historical data • Elections by date
Special elections by state

Alabama • California • Connecticut • Georgia
Iowa • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine
Massachusetts • Michigan • Mississippi
Missouri • New Hampshire
New York • Oklahoma
Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • Tennessee
Texas • Virginia • Wisconsin

Other 2021 Election coverage
Filing deadlines • Statewide elections
State legislative elections
Gubernatorial elections • Ballot measures

In 2021, three special elections were called to fill vacant seats in the Virginia General Assembly.

Click here to read more about the special elections.

House special elections called:

Senate special elections called:

How vacancies are filled in Virginia


If there is a vacancy in the Virginia General Assembly, a special election must be conducted to fill the vacant seat. If the vacancy occurs while the legislature is in session, the presiding officer of the house in which the vacancy happens must call for a special election. If the vacancy occurs while the legislature is in recess, the governor shall call the special election. Within 30 days of a vacancy, the appropriate officeholder shall issue a writ of election. If an vacancy occurs between December 10 and March 1, the writ must declare the special election date be within 30 days of said vacancy. All special elections must be held promptly. However, no special election can be held if it occurs less than 55 days before any statewide primary or general election or if there are fewer than 75 days remaining in the vacated term.[1][2]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Virginia Code § 24.2-216


About the legislature

The Virginia General Assembly is a bicameral body composed of the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members, and the Virginia State Senate, with 40 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).

Virginia State Senate
Party As of November 5, 2019 After November 6, 2019
     Democratic Party 19 21
     Republican Party 20 19
     Vacancies 1 0
Total 40 40
Virginia House of Delegates
Party As of November 5, 2019 After November 6, 2019
     Democratic Party 49 55
     Republican Party 51 45
Total 100 100

Special elections

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

January 5, 2021


March 23, 2021


Historical data

There were 782 state legislative special elections that took place from 2010 to 2020. Virginia held 35 special elections during the same time period; about three per year on average. The largest number of special elections in Virginia took place in 2014 when nine 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, 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. ↑ Virginia Law Library, "§ 24.2-216. Filling vacancies in the General Assembly," accessed February 16, 2021 (Statute 24.2-216, Virginia Code)
  2. ↑ Virginia Law Library, "§ 24.2-682. Times for special elections," accessed February 16, 2021
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Office of Governor Ralph Northam, "Governor Northam Sets Special Election for Second House of Delegates District," December 8, 2020
  4. ↑ The Washington Post, "Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy stepping down to focus on Va. governor’s race," December 8, 2020
  5. ↑ Office of Governor Ralph Northam, "Governor Northam Sets Special Election for 90th House of Delegates District," December 1, 2020
  6. ↑ The Virginia-Pilot, "Sylvia Bryant, Angelia Williams Graves will face off for Norfolk delegate seat," December 7, 2020
  7. ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "State delegate, longtime lawyer Joe Lindsey appointed Norfolk judge", Nov. 10, 2020
  8. ↑ Governor of Virginia, "Commonwealth of Virginia Executive Department," January 12, 2021
  9. ↑ WJHL, "Virginia state Sen. Ben Chafin dies from COVID-19 complications," January 1, 2021
v • e
State legislatures
Legislatures
Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S)
SLP badge.png
2025
2024
2023
Historical elections
2022 •  2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000
Features of
state legislatures
State senates
State houses
Leadership positions
Flag of Virginia
v • e
State of Virginia
Richmond (capital)
Elections

What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures

Government

Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy

Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Virginia_state_legislative_special_elections,_2021&oldid=8238039"