West Virginia state legislative special elections, 2026

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As of February, two special elections have been called to fill vacant seats in the West Virginia State Legislature.

Click here to read more about the special elections.

Senate special elections called:

• District 3: November 3
• District 17: November 3

How vacancies are filled in West Virginia

If there is a vacancy in the West Virginia State Legislature, the governor must select a replacement to fill the vacant seat.

The executive committee of the political party that held the seat before the vacancy can submit a list of three candidates to the governor. The list must be submitted to the governor within 15 days of the vacancy. The governor must make a selection within five days of receiving the list. If the committee does not submit a list within 15 days, the governor must appoint someone of the same political party as the person who left office. The person that is selected to fill the vacancy serves the remainder of the unfilled term.

See sources: West Virginia Const. Art. 4, Sec. 7 and West Virginia Code Ann. §3-10-5

About the legislature

The West Virginia Legislature is the state legislature of West Virginia. A bicameral legislative body, the Legislature is split between the upper West Virginia State Senate and the lower West Virginia House of Delegates. It was established under Article VI of the West Virginia Constitution following the state's split from Virginia during the American Civil War in 1863.

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).

West Virginia State Senate
Party		As of November 5, 2024	After November 6, 2024
	Democratic Party	3	2
	Republican Party	31	32
Total		34	34

West Virginia House of Delegates
Party		As of November 5, 2024	After November 6, 2024
	Democratic Party	11	9
	Republican Party	89	91
Total		100	100

Special elections

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

November 3, 2026

West Virginia State Senate District 3

See also: West Virginia state legislative special elections, 2026 A special election for West Virginia State Senate District 3 has been called for November 3, 2026. A primary is scheduled to take place on May 12, 2026. The candidate filing deadline was January 31, 2026. The seat became vacant after Donna Boley (R) resigned on January 8, 2026, to focus on her health and family. There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Special elections throughout the country

See also: State legislative special elections, 2026

As of February 2026, 56 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2026 in 22 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:

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

Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The partisan breakdown for the special elections is as follows:

• 31 Democratic seats
• 25 Republican seats

As of February 3rd, 2026, Republicans controlled 55.1% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 43.83%. 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			Other	Vacant
State senates	836	1,119	6	12
State houses	2,401	2,951	20	41
Total:	3,237	4,070	26	53

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	31	9
	Republican Party	25	3
	Independent	0	0
Total		56	12

Flipped seats

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

See also

• State legislative special elections, 2026
• State legislative special elections, 2025
• State legislative special elections, 2024
• State legislative special elections, 2023
• West Virginia State Legislature

Footnotes

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2026

State legislative elections (2026) • State legislative special elections (2026) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2026 Session Dates

2025

State legislative elections (2025) • State legislative special elections (2025) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2025 Session Dates

Historical elections

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Features of state legislatures

How vacancies are filled in state legislatures • States with a full-time legislature • State legislatures with term limits • Comparison of state legislative salaries • When state legislators assume office after a general election • Population represented by state legislators • State constitutional articles governing state legislatures • State legislative sessions • Resign-to-run law • State legislature candidate requirements by state • Official names of state legislatures • State legislative chambers that use multi-member districts • Factors Affecting Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections

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