Special Election Set For New York's Vacant Legislative Seats

Now that 2026 is in full swing and people are getting settled into the idea that a new year is here, the powers that be in the New York government are hard at work to ensure the people's business gets done.

On January 1st, several cities in New York had new Mayors take control. From New York to Buffalo and quite a few cities in between, the seats of power has changed hands. Now, when that happens, especially in cities like Buffalo that have had long-term people holding on to office, there is sure to be ripples in other areas.

That's exactly what's happening in three New York communities as two New York State Senators and one New York State Assemblyman have vacated their seats to take new offices after being elected to new positions. Now, in accordance with the power that's given to her in the New York State Constitution, Governor Hochul is calling a special election to fill those three empty seats.

New York's Governor Calls For Special Election To Three Seats In The New York State Legislature

After the November 2025 Elections, three members of the New York State Legislature, two Senators and one member of the Assembly, won election to new jobs. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Sean Ryan, and Zohran Mamdani all have new jobs in government, and they have left their offices in the Legislature. Since the people of the 47th and 61st New York Senate Districts and the 36th New York Assembly District are entitled to representation, there will be a special election to fill those seats on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.

These State Legislators represented their communities with distinction in Albany, and we wish them well in their next chapters... To ensure constituents of these districts are represented in the State Legislature, there will be a special election on February 3, 2026 to fill the vacancies. I look forward to working with their successors and working on the issues that matter to New Yorkers.
-Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York State

In the Buffalo area, several people have thrown their hat in the race for State Senator, including Amherst businessman Dan Gagliardo, current New York Assemblymember Jonathan Rivera, and Chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party, Jeremy Zellner, just to name a few.

Early voting for the Special Election is set to start on January 24, 2026, and will run through Sunday, February 1, 2026. If you're not registered to vote, the last day you can register to vote is January 24, 2026.