Voters in 44 states chose 5,808 state legislators on Nov. 5, 2024, deciding over 78% of all legislative seats nationwide. Additionally, voters in Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Marianas Islands and American Samoa elected 157 legislators. Voters in 41 states, the district and Puerto Rico also decided on 153 ballot measures that could alter state laws or constitutions on issues including election administration, taxes, abortion, criminal justice and education. This included five measures Louisiana voters considered in a December election. Scroll for maps and details on partisan control, ballot measures and election administration resources.
Partisan Control Definitions
Who controls policymaking in the states depends in large measure on who has partisan control. There are several measures for partisan control:
- Chamber control: Each legislative chamber, House and Senate, is controlled by the party with the most members.
- Legislative control: When the same party holds both chambers, that party has legislative control. When the chambers are held by different parties, state control is divided.
- Governors: The governor in each state plays a key role in state policymaking.
- State control: When the same party holds both legislative chambers and the governorship, that party has state control. When any of those three points of power is held by another party, control is divided.
- Veto-proof Majorities: When the majority-party caucus in both chambers exceeds the threshold required to override a veto, that party has a “veto-proof” majority.
Because NCSL assigns chamber and legislative control based on the number of elected Democrats or Republicans, the coloring of states may not reflect existing multi-party or bipartisan coalitions that govern legislative chambers, as is currently the case in Alaska or has been the case in recent years in New York. Nebraska’s unicameral legislature is officially nonpartisan and is characterized accordingly by NCSL, even though a majority of its members unofficially associate themselves with the Republican Party. Please reach out to Ben Williams with any questions.