Some Mississippians around the state will have the chance to participate in at least three special elections to fill vacancies in the state Legislature — and there could be more in the future.
Rep. Charles Young, Jr., a Democrat from Meridian, died on December 19, and Rep. Andy Stepp, a Republican from Bruce, died on December 5. Sen. Jenifer Branning, a Republican from Philadelphia, will be sworn into office on January 6 for a seat on the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Gov. Tate Reeves on Friday announced the special elections to fill Young and Stepp’s seats will take place on March 25, and the qualifying deadline for those two seats will end on February 3. Branning has technically not yet vacated her Senate seat, so Reeves has not set the election date for her seat yet.
Since the special elections will take place in the spring, this means that the areas will be without representation at the Capitol for much of the 2025 legislative session.
Municipal elections are also taking place this year, and there could be even more special elections to fill vacant legislative seats.
Rep. Fred Shanks, a Republican from Brandon, qualified on Thursday to run for mayor of Brandon. Sen. John Horhn, a Democrat from Jackson, has qualified to run for mayor of the capital city.
If either of the two lawmakers win their bids to lead the metro areas, the governor will also have to set special elections to replace them. Qualifying for municipal offices ends on January 31.
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