Gov. Sanders calls special election Nov. 3 to fill State Senate District 1 vacancy

Governor Sanders called a special election to fill the vacancy in State Senate District 1 after state senator Ben Gilmore resigned to become a senior adviser to Attorney General Tim Griffin.

The special election will be held Nov. 3, the day of the midterm general election, with the primary scheduled for Sept. 15. The reporter said the filing period for independent candidates opens July 13 and runs three days; major-party candidates must be nominated after the primary by Sept. 22.

At least two Republican candidates have indicated they plan to run: Harold Wilson and Missy Ward Law. The report noted photographs of the two prospective candidates were displayed alongside the announcement; no further campaign details or formal filings were reported in the transcript.

The vacancy followed the resignation last week of former state senator Ben Gilmore, who left the seat to accept a role as senior adviser to Attorney General Tim Griffin. The announcement as reported did not list additional administrative steps or any interim appointment process.

Next steps are the opening of filing windows and receipt of official candidate filings; the calendar in the announcement sets the primary on Sept. 15 and the special general election on Nov. 3.