New York state legislative special elections, 2026

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2026 State Legislative Special Elections
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As of February, four special elections have been called to fill vacant seats in the New York State Legislature.

Click here to read more about the special elections.

House special elections called:

• District 74: February 3
• District 36: February 3

Senate special elections called:

• District 47: February 3
• District 61: February 3

How vacancies are filled in New York

If there is a vacancy in the New York Legislature, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. A special election can be held as long as the vacancy occurred before April 1 of the last year of the former officeholder's term. If a special session is called in the state legislature after this date, a special election may be called to fill the seat. The person elected to fill the vacant seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.

See sources: New York Public Officers Law § 42

About the legislature

The New York Legislature is the state legislature of New York. It is a bicameral legislature, consisting of the lower chamber, the New York State Assembly, and the upper chamber, the New York State Senate.

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).

New York State Senate
Party		As of November 5, 2024	After November 6, 2024
	Democratic Party	41	41
	Republican Party	21	22
	Vacancy	1	0
Total		63	63

New York State Assembly
Party		As of November 5, 2024	After November 6, 2024
	Democratic Party	100	103
	Republican Party	48	47
	Vacancy	2	0
Total		150	150

Special elections

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

Historical data

There were 1,102 state legislative special elections that took place from 2010 to 2025. New York held 58 special elections during the same time period. The largest number of special elections in New York took place in 2018 when 11 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 February 2026, 59 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:

• 31 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
• 23 due to resignation
• 5 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
• 28 Republican seats

As of February 19th, 2026, Republicans controlled 55.09% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 43.87%. 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	1,120	6	11
State houses	2,404	2,949	20	40
Total:	3,240	4,069	26	51

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	17
	Republican Party	28	7
	Independent	0	0
Total		59	24

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
• New York State Legislature

Footnotes

State legislatures

Legislatures

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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

2024 • 2023 • 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

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

State senates

Length of terms of state senators • State senators • Partisan composition of state senates • State senators sorted by year first elected

State houses

Length of terms of state representatives • State representatives • Partisan composition of state houses • State representatives sorted by year first elected

Leadership positions

President of the Senate • President Pro Tempore • Senate Majority Leader • Senate Minority Leader • House Majority Leader • House Minority Leader • State Speaker of the House

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