New Faces and Fresh Ideas: 2000 Election Turnover.

• Position: Statistical Data Included

The November 2000 state legislative elections resulted in lots of new faces for state legislatures. Almost 80 percent of the 7,424 legislative seats in 44 states were up for election in 2000. Alabama, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia did not have regular legislative elections in 2000. Now that the dust has settled from the historic election, there are 1,306 new legislators, although some of those individuals are actually returning to legislative service or moving from one chamber to the other. The overall turnover rate for the 2000 elections was 17.6 percent. That is up slightly from the 1998 election when the rate was 17.2 percent. The chambers with the highest turnover were in states where term limits are taking effect. At 53 percent, both the South Dakota House and the Florida House top the chart with more than half of the chamber turning over. Maine had the highest Senate turnover at 46 percent, which contributed to it winding up in a 17-17-1 partisan tie. About 17 percent of leg islative turnover in 2000 was due to an incumbent losing in the general election. The rest was from retirements and losses in primaries.

Number Senate Senate Number House STATE of Turnover Percent of Turnover Senate Seats 2000 Turnover 2000 House Seats 2000 Alabama 35 * * 105 * Alaska 20 5 25% 40 11 Arizona 30 10 33 60 27 Arkansas 35 15 43 100 31 California 40 10 25 80 32 Colorado 35 13 37 65 23 Connecticut 36 3 8 151 18 Delaware 21 1 5 41 2 Florida 40 11 28 120 63 Georgia 56 6 11 180 21 Hawaii 25 4 16 51 11 Idaho 35 3 9 70 12 Illinois 59 1 2 118 11 Indiana 50 3 6 100 4 Iowa 50 5 10 100 20 Kansas 40 15 38 125 23 Kentucky 38 3 8 100 9 Louisiana 39 * * 105 * Maine 35 16 46 151 46 Maryland 47 * * 141 * Massachusetts 40 2 5 160 17 Michigan 38 * * 110 21 Minnesota 67 10 15 134 21 Mississippi...