Ballotpedia Reports: 2026 State Legislative Elections Are the Third Most Competitive Since 2010

Both major parties are contesting 66% of seats, nearly matching the 2018 record, while the share of open seats is below average

Middleton, Wisconsin--(Newsfile Corp. - October 15, 2026) - This year's state legislative elections are the third most competitive since 2010, according to Ballotpedia's recently released 16th Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report.

Competitiveness measures the extent of choice available to voters. More open seats, more contested primaries, and more races where both major parties field candidates mean more meaningful decisions on the ballot.

The report analyzes all 6,137 state legislative seats up for election on Nov. 3 in 46 states. The nationwide State Legislative Competitiveness Index is 35.4, above the 2010-2024 average of 34.0. Only two other years scored higher: 2018 (36.1) and 2022 (36.6).

"The 2026 numbers point in two directions," said Joel Williams, managing editor at Ballotpedia. "Fewer seats are open than in a typical year, so fewer newcomers are guaranteed to take office. At the same time, more incumbents faced primary challengers than average, and both major parties are contesting nearly as many seats as in the record year of 2018."

Key findings of this report include:

• 1,064 seats were open (17.3%), below the average of 18.7%
• 1,156 incumbents faced contested primaries (22.8%), above the average of 21.7%
• 4,052 seats are contested by both major parties (66.0%), above the average of 61.4%

The index averages three measures. Compared with 2022, the most competitive year since 2010, open seats and incumbents in contested primaries are down, and major party competition is up.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11226/319142_e8dc2189e465c907_002full.jpg

Open seats and major party competition are shares of all seats up for election. Contested primaries are a share of incumbents who filed for re-election. The index average covers 2010 through 2024.

Go deeper: The full report includes state-by-state figures, including a comparison of states by the percentage of seats each major party is contesting. Read Ballotpedia's 16th Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report here.

About Ballotpedia
Ballotpedia, the encyclopedia of American politics, is the nation's most trusted source of unbiased information on politics, elections, and policy. And as voters increasingly turn to search engines and AI to learn who and what is on their ballot, independent research ranks Ballotpedia among the sources those tools cite most often. Founded in 2007, Ballotpedia has grown from a small group of volunteers into an essential resource for voters, media, and researchers. A nonprofit dedicated to an educated, engaged electorate and a strong, healthy democracy, Ballotpedia employs professional editorial staff who research, write, and verify its content, and offers free access to 750,000+ articles at Ballotpedia.org.

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Contact: Carley Allensworth
October 15, 2026 Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
U.S. (618) 553-1830

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/319142