The Mississippi Supreme Court acted quickly Monday to block a circuit judge’s order in a dispute over whether a special election is needed to fill a vacancy in the state House of Representatives.
Two people signed up to run in a Nov. 2 special election in District 29 in parts of Bolivar and Sunflower counties. The seat came open when Democratic Rep. Abe Hudson resigned in late August.
The Mississippi Board of Election Commissioners ruled Sept. 14 that one of the candidates failed to meet a residency requirement because he had switched his voter registration to Lafayette County. The commission — made up of Gov. Tate Reeves, Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Secretary of State Michael Watson — said that because only one candidate remained, no election was needed for the District 29 race. Reeves issued an order saying Robert Sanders had been elected.