The United Utah Party, a state party created at the end of May, will likely file suit to compel the Utah Elections Office to certify its candidate for the 3^rd Congressional District after the office refused to permit the candidate to file provisionally before the United Utah Party’s qualified party status was certified.

The United Utah Party and Utah lawmakers are unhappy with the special election process and timeline Gov. Gary Herbert has chosen for the special election to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz. Lawmakers originally wanted a special session of the Legislature to clarify the process as none is set by state law, but Gov. Herbert refused.

Utah House leaders reached out to State Attorney General Sean Reyes for a legal opinion on whether Gov. Herbert’s process was valid, but Gov. Herbert moved to block the opinion stating the Attorney General represents his office and not the Legislature.

Utah law establishes a 300-day process for a special election to fill a congressional vacancy. Lawmakers and state and local officials are concerned the abbreviated timeline Gov. Herbert set for this special election violates the law and could be rejected with high costs to counties who will start mailing primary ballots by the end of the month.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz will remain in office until June 30, 2017. The Governor’s office believes the process is legal and has approval from the U.S. Department of Justice and Congress.

Gov. Mary Fallin ordered a special election for Oklahoma Senate District 37.

Sen. Dan Newberry resigned in June to seek a promotion in his professional career; his resignation is effective January 31, 2018.

A special primary election is scheduled for September 12 with a general election to follow on November 14.

If a special primary is not necessary, the special general will be held on September 12.

 Becky Campbell is here to deliver all the government relations and ethics news you can use from around the country in this weeks video digest!

Gov. Rick Scott set the dates for a special election for House District 44. The primary election will be held on August 15, 2017, with the general election on October 10, 2017.

The District 44 seat opened when Rep. Eric Eisnaugle was appointed as a judge of the Fifth District Court of Appeals.

Several Republican candidates have already opened campaign accounts as well as one Democrat.

There will be a special election held on September 26 to fill the seat for state House District 31.

Rep. Harold Mitchell recently vacated the seat after serving 13 years in the South Carolina Legislature. He was granted medical leave in April but decided to resign shortly thereafter for health reasons.

A primary election, if necessary, will be held July 25, with the possibility of runoffs on August 8.

On May 9, 2017, Michigan Rep. John Kivela took his own life. Gov. Rick Snyder has called a special election to fill the vacancy for the 109^th District.

The special primary election will be held on August 8, 2017, with the special general election being held on November 7, 2017.

The winner of the of the special election will serve the remainder of Kivela’s two-year term.

Gov. Terry Branstad has called a special election to fill the state House seat left vacant by the passing of state Rep. Greg Forristall.

The special election will be held Tuesday, June 27, 2017.

The winner of the special election will complete the remainder of Forristall’s term, serving through 2019.

Photo of Rep. Forristall from the Iowa House Republicans site.

Gov. Rick Scott signed an executive order setting the dates for a special election to replace Sen. Frank Artiles. A special primary will be held on July 25, 2017, followed by a special general election on September 26.

Artiles resigned from the District 40 seat last month after calling fellow senators by racist and sexist names while having drinks at the Governors Club.

Senate District 40 is located in southwest Miami-Dade County.

Gov. Phil Bryant has set a special election to fill a vacancy in the Mississippi House of Representatives.

Rep. Mark Formby vacated the District 108 seat to become chairman of the state Workers Compensation Commission.

The election is set for July 25, 2017, with a runoff, if necessary, on August 15.

The qualifying deadline for candidates is June 5.

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

On April 27, leaders of the Utah Republican and Democratic parties sent a joint letter to Gov. Gary Herbert requesting a special session to clarify state law on calling a special election for a U.S. House member midterm.

Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz announced he will not run for office in 2018, and will likely step down before his current term ends. Current law says the governor shall call a special election for a U.S. House vacancy, but does not lay out any details for the process.

Gov. Herbert does not believe a special session is necessary and believes some state lawmakers could have a vested interest in amending the law in order to increase their own chances to win the seat.

Members of the Legislature stated they want to offer their perspective to Herbert to show it is a bipartisan effort to work towards a process needing to be put in place.

Gov. Kay Ivey moved the U.S. Senate seat special election from November 6, 2018, to December 12, 2017. The special election is needed to fill the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by U.S. Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions.

Former Gov. Robert Bentley appointed Luther Strange to fill the vacancy and scheduled the election for 2018, allowing Strange to serve as an incumbent for 22 months.

Ivey changed the date of the election to better follow Alabama law, which clearly states a special election may only be delayed until the next regular election if the senate vacancy occurred within four months of the next regular election.

The special primary will now be held on August 15, 2017, with a special runoff on September 26, 2017. The special general is scheduled for December 12, 2017.

Despite an ongoing court battle, a special election has been scheduled for April 8, 2017, to fill a seat in the territory’s unicameral legislature.

Kevin Rodriguez placed sixth in the November election, however, the Supreme Court of the U.S. Virgin Islands determined he was ineligible to hold a seat because he does not meet the residency requirement. Rodriguez filed another suit in the District Court of the U.S. Virgin Islands, but the court left the decision to the governor.

Rodriguez has appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and asked the St. Thomas Board of Election to postpone the special election until a decision is reached. The Board of Election, however, plans to move forward.

Two special elections will take place on April 25, 2017, to fill vacancies in the Connecticut House of Representatives.

Gov. Dannel Malloy announced the elections for Assembly Districts 7 and 68 after the incumbents, Rep. Doug McCrory and Rep. Eric Berthel, won seats in the Senate during a special election on February 28.

District 7 consists of portions of Hartford, while District 68 contains Waterbury and part of Woodbury.