Special Election Date Set For House District 45, Candidate Qualifying Ends Friday

EAST COBB, GA — Since former state Rep. Matt Dollar resigned from his seat on the Georgia House of Representatives earlier this month, a special election date has been set to fill his spot.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced last week that the special election for House District 45 — which covers parts of Cobb and Fulton counties — will take place April 5. If a runoff is necessary, it will be held May 3.

Dollar, the representative who spearheaded the East Cobb cityhood legislation, resigned Feb. 1 to take a job with the Technical College System of Georgia as the deputy commissioner of economic development. The cityhood bill was signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday, triggering a May 24 vote for the proposed city.

The last day to register to vote for the House District 45 election is March 7, and the first day of in-person early voting is March 14. Dollar's successor will fill the rest of his term, which expires at the end of the year.

Just 12 polling precincts within Cobb County are eligible to vote during the April 5 special election:

• CR01: Chestnut Ridge 01/District Combo 691
• DC01: Dickerson 01/District Combo 607
• DO01: Dodgen 01/District Combo(s) 607 and 691
• HT01: Hightower 01/District Combo 691
• MD01: Murdock 01/District Combo 691
• MT01: Mt. Bethel 01/District Combo 607
• MT03: Mt. Bethel 03/District Combo 607
• PP01: Pope 01/District Combo 608**
• RW01: Roswell 01/District Combo 691
• RW02: Roswell 02/District Combo(s) 607 and 691
• SM01: Sewell Mill 01/District Combo 691**
• TR01: Timber Ridge 01/District Combo 607

**Does not include entire precinct.

District boundaries will change Jan. 1, 2023, though, due to the redistricting maps passed by the General Assembly last fall. District 45 was redrawn to include both Dollar and Republican state Rep. Sharon Cooper. Another election will be held in November for the 2023-24 term for District 45.

Qualifying for the April 5 special election runs until Friday at 1 p.m. Two Republicans and one Democrat have filed to qualify for the seat as of Thursday afternoon: Mitchell Kaye and Pamela Alayon are the Republican candidates, and Dustin McCormick is the Democratic candidate.

McCormick announced his campaign to be Dollar's successor a few days after he resigned, and he also plans to run in November for the seat. Kaye served in the state legislature in the 1990s and lives in East Cobb, the Marietta Daily Journal reported, while Alayon tried to run for chair of the Cobb County Republican Party.

Cooper said she plans to run in the November race as well, according to the MDJ.

For more information about the election, visit cobbcounty.org/elections.

Related:

• East Cobb Business Leader Launches Campaign For House District 45
• Kemp Signs East Cobb Cityhood Bill, May Referendum Set
• State Rep. Matt Dollar Resigns From Georgia House