Vote on Gillam’s seat planned for Nov. 6

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Thursday that he plans to issue a call for a Nov. 6 special election to fill the state House seat that will become vacant with the resignation of House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia, effective June 15.

That “will avoid any initial costs by having a non-general-election special election [separate from the general election], so that Nov. 6 date will work out well,” the Republican governor said.

“Because it’s close enough to the general election, the parties will nominate their nominee by convention, so I do not expect that there will be anything unusual there, other than having a special election on Nov. 6,” Hutchinson said..

Gillam on Wednesday announced he is resigning June 15 to start work as the University of Central Arkansas’ director of governmental relations and external affairs the next day.

The special election in House District 45 to fill the vacancy created by Gillam’s resignation would fill the post through the end of the two-year term in mid-January.

In the general election, Beebe Republican Jim Wooten is unopposed for that seat, but the next legislative term won’t start until mid-January.

State Republican Party Chairman Doyle Webb said he anticipates Wooten will run in the special election.