From the Office of the Governor:

MONTGOMERY – Governor Robert Bentley on Monday announced the timeline for a special election to fill the vacant District 30 seat in the Alabama House of Representatives. The District 30 seat was previously held by Representative Blaine Galliher, who was recently appointed to serve in the Bentley Administration as Legislative Director.

“Blaine Galliher served the people of District 30 with honor and integrity, and it’s important to maintain representation of District 30 in the House of Representatives,” Governor Bentley said. “This timeline was designed with several priorities in mind. We want to make sure candidates have time to qualify, we want to make sure voters have time to learn about the candidates, and we want to allow ample time for those who are unable to vote in-person to arrange a vote by absentee ballot. The timeline should also allow sufficient time for the next District 30 representative to be in place in time for the next regular legislative session.”

House District 30 covers portions of Etowah and St. Clair Counties. A special primary election for the District 30 seat will be held on Tuesday, October 23, 2012. If special primary runoff elections are necessary, they will be held on Tuesday, December 11, 2012. If runoff elections are not necessary, the special general election would take place on that day – Tuesday, December 11, 2012. If runoff elections are necessary on December 11, the special general election will be held on Tuesday, January 29, 2013.

Candidates qualifying with major political parties must do so by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 24, 2012. The two major political parties are to certify their qualified candidates to the Secretary of State as soon as possible after the qualification deadline, but by no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 31, 2012. All third-party candidates, independent candidates, and/or minor party candidates seeking ballot access are advised that their deadline for filing the appropriate notification, petitions, or supporting paperwork with the Secretary of State shall be Friday, August 31, 2012, at 5:00 p.m.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Last week’s Rumors & Rumblings talked a little about HD 30:

Mack Butler, the former Etowah County GOP chairman and a longtime Board of Education member, has done an incredible job of clearing the field in House District 30 and has quickly become the odds-on favorite to replace Rep. Blaine Galliher. Yellowhammer broke the story late last week that Galliher is vacating his House seat and taking a job as Governor Bentley’s Legislative Director.

Butler has released a steady stream of endorsements on his Facebook page, including one from the area’s popular State Senator, Phil Williams. “I’ve known Mack for 15 years and can’t think of anyone more uniquely suited to fill this role, ” Sen. Williams told Yellowhammer. “Losing Blaine as a member of my delegation is tough – but if there is going to be someone new in the District 30 seat I’ll be glad if it’s Mack.” Williams went on to call Butler “conservative, tough and engaging” and a man “with the highest moral character.”