Georgia will probably not hold its special congressional election in the 10th district (to replace Charlie Norwood) until June 19. A previous posting on this site was incorrect when it said the election had to be no later than March 25.
The reason for the delay, is that several Georgia state legislators want to run for the seat, and under Georgia law, if they file as candidates, they must then resign from the legislature. Delaying the election until June 19 will enable these legislators to continue in office for most of this year’s legislative session.
The official notice —
http://www.gov.state.ga.us/press/2007/press1355.shtml
Thursday, February 22, 2007 Contact: Office of Communications 404-651-7774
Governor Perdue Sets Election Date for 10th Congressional District
ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue today issued a writ of election for the 10th Congressional District seat, which was vacated last week when Congressman Charlie Norwood passed away.
The special election will be held on June 19, which is the next special election date set forth in Georgia law that would also allow for county-wide, municipal, and/or SPLOST elections on the same day.
Secretary of State Karen Handel has agreed to set the qualifying date to be after the General Assembly session concludes, allowing any state legislators who may run to fulfill their duties in the General Assembly while giving candidates an adequate amount of time to campaign. If there is a runoff following the June 19 election, it would occur four weeks later, on July 17th.
“Since qualification for this election will likely create vacancies in other elected offices, I am hopeful that all of those seats could be filled on one election day,†Governor Perdue said.
A copy of the writ follows:
A vacancy now exists in the United States House of Representatives due to the death of the official elected to represent Georgia’s Tenth District.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 21-2-543 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, a writ of election is hereby issued to the Secretary of State for a special election to be held on Tuesday, June 19, 2007, to fill the vacancy in Georgia’s Tenth District of the United States House of Representatives.
This 22nd day of February, 2007.
Governor Sonny Perdue