In a very close race, Kelvin Butler defeats Gary Brumfield to win the special election for Mississippi Senate District 38.

Butler previously represented District 38 until he resigned in 2016 to run for Pike County Chancery Clerk.

Butler had also run for the seat in 2019.

However, he was defeated by Tammy Witherspoon, who resigned earlier this year leading to the vacancy which prompted this special election.

With no candidate securing a majority, the Mississippi Senate District 32 race is heading for a runoff election.

Rob Hickman and Dr. Minh Duong will face each other in the special runoff election scheduled for November 23.

In a close race which garnered national attention, Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin will be Virginia’s next governor after defeating Terry McAuliffe.

Youngkin becomes the first Republican to win a gubernatorial bid since 2009.

The Tennessee General Assembly adjourned the third special session on October 30.

Lawmakers passed several bills limiting COVID-19 restrictions and mandates.

In addition to these measures, lawmakers also introduced and passed Senate Bill 9009 making school board elections partisan elections.

All of these bills now await action by Gov. Bill Lee.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has set the dates for the November Florida Legislature’s special session concerning COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Lawmakers will convene the special session on November 15 and can adjourn no later than November 19.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced special election dates for Senate District 33, House District 88, and House District 94.

The special primary election will be held on January 11, 2022, followed by the special general election on March 8, 2022.

The three seats became available in July when Sen. Perry Thurston and Reps. Bobby DuBose and Omari Hardy resigned to run for U.S. House District 20, a seat vacated by the late Rep. Alcee Hastings.

This announcement comes after three months of delays and a lawsuit filed two weeks ago seeking to compel DeSantis to set election dates.

The delay will result in the new lawmakers missing preparations and the start of the 2022 legislative session.

Further, if a general election is needed, the new lawmakers will miss out on most of the session, which is scheduled to end on March 11, 2022.

The Tennessee General Assembly adjourned its special session on October 20.

During the three-day session, lawmakers approved bills regarding development and other preparations of the Ford Memphis Regional Megasite project, including the allocation of $884 million from the state’s fiscal surplus.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he intends to call a special session of the Florida Legislature in November.

Though the specific dates have not been set, the session will take up issues regarding COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

West Virginia lawmakers completed their third special session after approving redistricting plans.

In addition to approving new House and Senate districts, the Legislature passed a bill to require employers to allow religious and health exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine requirements.

The Legislature also approved the creation of the Broadband Development Fund.

Senate Speaker Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton announced the Tennessee Legislature will convene a special session on October 27.

The special session will focus solely on COVID-19 issues including mask and vaccine mandates.

This will be the third special session of 2021.

Gov. Kay Ivey announced a second special session of the Alabama Legislature to convene on October 28.

The purpose of the special session is to undertake the decennial redistricting process.

Gov. Jim Justice has called the West Virginia Legislature back for the third special session of the year to convene on October 11.

In the proclamation, Gov. Justice requested the Legislature take up decennial redistricting, the appropriation of federal funding, and a handful of other issues.

The special session of the Alabama Legislature adjourned October 1 after approving Gov. Kay Ivey’s plan to allocate COVID-19 relief funding to a prison infrastructure plan.

Another special session is expected to be called to take up the issue of redistricting before the Legislature convenes for the 2022 session on January 11, 2022.

Gov. Bill Lee called for a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly to convene on October 18 to address funding, buildout, and oversight of Ford’s historic $5.6 billion investment at the Memphis Regional Megasite, located in Fayette and Haywood Counties.

Debate is expected around funding the site’s development, education, and workforce preparation.