A special election to fill retired District 38 Rep. Tyrone Ellis’ Mississippi House of Representatives seat will be held Nov. 7, Gov. Phil Bryant announced Wednesday.
The qualification deadline is Sept. 18, and a runoff election will be held Nov. 28 if no candidate receives a majority of the Nov. 7 vote.
Ellis, who turns 71 this month, announced his retirement at the end of June and said he looked forward to spending more time with his family, six grandchildren and Noxubee County congregation.
He has represented portions of Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee and Oktibbeha counties since 1980 as a Democrat and was the first state representative to serve as House majority leader. After redistricting, Noxubee County was moved from District 38.
His term expires in 2020.
“It was hard to do, but I just got to the point where I was asking myself if I’m really being effective enough. There’s a burnout factor that people don’t get. Everything I do is with the fullest extent of energy I have. I have to be effective, and I have to make an impact,” Ellis said in June. “My grandchildren all want a piece of me, and I want them to have all of me as possible. I’m going to give them as much as I can of myself as long as I’m left on this earth and show them how to live their lives. You can’t do that by being absent, and my wife and family have sacrificed for all of these years.”
In addition to the District 38 race, many Oktibbeha County voters will have more elections than normal to participate in this November: a countywide referendum is set to determine whether supervisors should proceed with a transaction of OCH Regional Medical Center; both the circuit and chancery clerks’ positions are up for a vote; and District 1 voters will decide who will serve as their constable.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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