Elections were held in 32 of the state senate's 50 districts.

A statewide map of the 50 state Senate districts in the 1891 elections is provided by the Iowa General Assembly here.

The general election took place on November 3, 1891.

To claim control of the chamber from Republicans, the Democrats needed to net 5 Senate seats.

Democrats claimed control of the Iowa State Senate following the 1891 general election with the balance of power shifting to Democrats holding 25 seats, Republicans having 24 seats, and a lone seat for the People's Party[a] (a net gain of 5 seats for Democrats and 1 seat for the People's Party).