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1998 Pre-Election Turnover
October 22, 1998

Legislatures typically average around 20% turnover every election and that figure may be up slightly in 1998. By adding together incumbents seeking not to run and incumbents defeated in primaries, there is already 16% turnover in legislatures before election day 1998. In 1996, pre-election turnover was only 12%. Pre-election turnover in state Senates is 13% and in state Houses, it is 17%. The highest turnover is in states where term limits are taking effect for the first time. The Michigan House leads the way with 58% pre-election turnover. It is 54% in the Arkansas House, 43% in the Oregon House, 37% in the Colorado House, and 28% in the California Senate.

STATE

Number of Senate Seats

Senate Pre-election Turnover

Senate Percent Turnover Pre-election1998

Number of House Seats

House Pre-election Turnover

House Percent Turnover Pre-election1998

Alabama

35

6

17%

105

14

13%

Alaska

20

3

15%

40

8

20%

Arizona

30

6

20%

60

13

22%

Arkansas

35

3

9%

100

54

54%

California

40

11

28%

80

25

31%

Colorado

35

11

31%

65

24

37%

Connecticut

36

3

8%

151

16

11%

Delaware

21

2

10%

41

4

10%

Florida

40

5

13%

120

23

19%

Georgia

56

14

25%

180

26

14%

Hawaii

25

6

24%

51

4

8%

Idaho

35

2

6%

70

8

11%

Illinois

59

5

8%

118

13

11%

Indiana

50

2

4%

100

10

10%

Iowa

50

5

10%

100

12

12%

Kansas

40

2

5%

125

15

12%

Kentucky

38

7

18%

100

14

14%

Louisiana

39

N/A

 

105

N/A

 

Maine

35

4

11%

151

35

23%

Maryland

47

4

9%

141

20

14%

Massachusetts

40

5

13%

160

18

11%

Michigan

38

7

18%

110

64

58%

Minnesota

67

N/A

 

134

8

6%

Mississippi

52

N/A

 

122

N/A

 

Missouri

34

1

3%

163

18

11%

Montana

50

10

20%

100

28

28%

Nebraska

49

6

12%

N/A

 

 

Nevada

21

2

10%

42

9

21%

New Hampshire

24

6

25%

400

93

23%

New Jersey

40

N/A

 

80

N/A

 

New Mexico

42

N/A

 

70

16

23%

New York

61

9

15%

150

18

12%

North Carolina

50

3

6%

120

10

8%

North Dakota

49

7

14%

98

16

16%

Ohio

33

5

15%

99

14

14%

Oklahoma

48

4

8%

101

10

10%

Oregon

30

6

20%

60

26

43%

Pennsylvania

50

4

8%

203

14

7%

Rhode Island

50

4

8%

100

13

13%

South Carolina

46

N/A

 

124

7

6%

South Dakota

35

4

11%

70

17

24%

Tennessee

33

2

6%

99

9

9%

Texas

31

1

3%

150

23

15%

Utah

29

7

24%

75

12

16%

Vermont

30

3

10%

150

16

11%

Virginia

40

N/A

 

100

N/A

 

Washington

49

2

4%

98

12

12%

West Virginia

34

3

9%

100

4

4%

Wisconsin

33

3

9%

99

18

18%

Wyoming

30

6

20%

60

13

22%


For more information on Turnover - contact Tim Storey elections-info@ncsl.org.

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