By Steve Peoples
Journal State House Bureau

A special election has been scheduled for Dec. 29 to fill the General Assembly vacancy created when state Rep. Elizabeth "Betsy" Dennigan abruptly resigned last week.

The Secretary of State's office, which has the power to set the date for special elections, struggled to find a date before the beginning of the Assembly's January session that didn't conflict with a major holiday. It settled on the Tuesday after Christmas and before New Year's Eve.

"Given the difficult reality of the upcoming holidays, we focused on creating a calendar that encourages voter turnout while ensuring residents will have representation in the House as soon as possible," Secretary of State A. Raplh Mollis said.

The Secretary of State collaborated with the East Providence and Pawtucket boards of canvassers to select a timeline for the House District 62 race, which includes parts of East Providence and Pawtucket. Dennigan, who is focusing on a bid for U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin's Congressional seat, had served the 62nd District since 1997.

Mollis has scheduled the primary election, if necessary for Nov. 24. Residents must register to vote by Oct. 24 in order to vote in the primary. Nov. 28 is the deadline for registering to vote in the December election.

Other key dates include the following:

• Candidates must file their Declaration of Candidacy -- in the city where they are registered to vote -- on Oct. 15 or Oct. 16.

• To qualify for the ballot, candidates must submit their nomination papers -- including the signatures of at least 50 House District 62 voters -- by Oct. 27.

• Nov. 3 is the deadline for voters to request a mail ballot for a primary, if necessary. Mail ballots for the election must be requested by Dec. 8.