Gov. Nathan Deal announced a special election will be held on April 18, 2017, for state Senate District 32.

Sen. Judson Hill resigned from the seat to run in the special election for the Sixth Congressional District, scheduled for the same day, to replace Rep. Tom Price.

If necessary, a runoff election will be held on May 16. Candidate qualifying runs for three days, beginning February 22, 2017.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions was confirmed as President Trump’s attorney general on February 8, 2017.

To fill the Senate vacancy, Gov. Robert Bentley has appointed state Attorney General Luther Strange to succeed Sessions. Bentley’s appointee will serve the U.S. Senate with 22 months of incumbency until the next general election.

Some controversy surrounds Bentley’s appointment; state Auditor Jim Ziegler filed a written request with Bentley opposing his decision to appoint a replacement and hold off with special elections until November 2018.

Ziegler cited Alabama code stating a special election could only be delayed until the next regular election if the senate vacancy occurred within four months of the next regular election.

Photo of Senator Luther Strange from the State of Alabama website.

A special election has been set for May 6, 2017, to fill the vacant seat for the Mayor of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Dan McQueen, former mayor, resigned on January 18 after just 37 days in office. His resignation came after being the subject of intense media scrutiny for criticizing city council and local media members on social media.

During such time, it was revealed that McQueen, who had no previous experience with public office, hired his live-in girlfriend as his chief of staff without disclosure to the city manager in direct conflict with the city’s policies.

Since McQueen’s resignation seven candidates have entered the mayoral race, including the City’s current Ethics Commissioner, Larry White.

Gov. Jerry Brown announced special election dates to replace 34th Congressional District Rep. Xavier Becerra’s vacant seat after he was appointed to be the attorney general of California.

The primary election is set for April 4, 2017. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a general election will be held June 6, 2017.

The race to fill the vacancy will be crowded, with 18 candidates already publicly announcing their intent to run for the position.

Special elections have been scheduled for Missouri House District 50 and Senate District 28.

Both elections are scheduled for August 8, 2017. The House seat was left vacant when Rep. Caleb Jones stepped down to take a position in Gov. Eric Greitens’ administration.

Senator Mike Parson vacated his Senate seat on January 9 after becoming lieutenant governor.

A state Senate special election for the 10th District seat will be held on February 25, 2017.

Democrat Bethany Hall-Long vacated the seat on January 17, 2017, in order to be sworn in as lieutenant governor.

The outcome of the special election will determine the controlling party in the Senate. Democrat Stephanie Hansen and Republican John Marino are both vying for the seat.

Photo of Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long from the Delaware General Assembly website.

On January 20, Gov. Jay Nixon announced the special election in House District 50 has been scheduled for August 8, 2017.

House District 50 includes sections of Boone Cole County and parts of Moniteau County.

A special election has yet to be scheduled for the Senate District 28 seat, which was recently vacated by Lt. Gov. Mike Parson.

Speaker of the House Mike Turzai announced a special election will be held March 21, 2017, to fill a vacancy in House District 197.

The vacancy was created on January 3 when Rep. Leslie Acosta resigned after pleading guilty to federal money laundering charges. Party nominees to run in the special election will be selected according to each party’s respective process.

District 197 consists of part of North Philadelphia.

A special election will be held on February 7, 2017, to fill the House of Delegates District 71 vacancy.

The seat became available after Del. Jennifer McClellan won a special election earlier in the month for Senate District 9. District 71 includes downtown Richmond, the city’s north side, and a portion of Henrico County.

After McClellan won the special election, Richmond School Board member Jeff Bourne announced his candidacy to replace her.

A special election will be held February 28, 2017, to fill General Assembly vacancies.

Seats for Senate Districts 2 and 32 as well as House District 115 were vacated when the legislators resigned to take other positions within state government.

Sen. Eric Coleman resigned to seek a state judgeship, Sen. Rob Kane hopes to be appointed state auditor, and Rep. Steven Dargan will serve on the Board of Pardons and Paroles. All three lawmakers won re-election in November.

See what’s happening in government relations this week in our News You Can Use Video Digest. Enjoy!

Yesterday, the U.S Supreme Court issued a temporary stay on a lower court order to hold special elections in November 2017 for North Carolina General Assembly seats in unconstitutionally gerrymandered districts.

The temporary stay of the lower court’s decision will remain in place until the justices decide whether to consider a previously filed appeal from state officials. If the Supreme Court hears the case and overturns the ruling, the special elections would be canceled and current districts restored for the 2018 election.

Gov. Terry Branstad called a special election for House District 89.

Democrat Jim Lykam resigned after winning the Senate District 45 seat previously held by Sen. Joe Seng, who passed away on September 16, 2016.

The special election for House District 89 will be held on January 31, 2017.

Caleb Jones (R) will leave the state House District 50 seat vacant when he joins Governor-elect Eric Greitens (R) as the new Deputy Chief of Staff starting January 9.

Ashland Republican Party State Committeewoman Sara Walsh (R) announced her candidacy for the position this week. Until the special election to replace Jones, an office in the capitol dedicated to constituent services for members of his district will remain active.