Residents of House District 90 may have to wait until March before having representation in the Georgia Legislature — a few weeks before the annual session usually adjourns.

The Secretary of State’s office has set a February special Democratic election for a DeKalb County-based seat, with prospective candidates asked to file their intent to run beginning today. House District 90 includes portions of DeKalb, Henry and Rockdale counties.

Officials in the Secretary of State’s office on Tuesday said a special election to replace former state Rep. Pam Stephenson had been set for Feb. 9, with the Democratic Party of Georgia accepting paperwork from hopefuls from Wednesday through Friday. A runoff, if needed, would be held March 9.

Prospective candidates seeking to run for the seat can go to the Democratic Party of Georgia’s office at 501 Pulliam St. SW, Suite 311, in Atlanta to file. Paperwork will be accepted 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday.. Interested candidates must also pay $400 to file.

A public notice of the special election was made a few hours after the candidate qualifying period began.

The special election comes after Stephenson’s daughter, using a power of attorney, in September withdrew her mother’s candidacy for reelection. Because her withdrawal came so late in the election cycle, Stephenson’s name remained on the November ballot. Stephenson won her primary election in June and no Republicans filed to run for the seat earlier this year. Because the special election is essentially a make up for what would have been the November vote in the 90th district, only Democrats can vie for the seat.

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