Calvin Smyre (D) announced on April 4, 2022, that he would resign from the Georgia House of Representatives, after being appointed ambassador to the Dominican Republic by President Joe Biden (D). Smyre has served since 1975, most recently in District 135.
Smyre was elected to the state House in 1974. He is the longest-serving Georgia state lawmaker according to Axios. Smyre also served as executive vice president of Synovus Financial Corporation from 1976 to 2014.
If there is a vacancy in the Georgia General Assembly, the vacant seat must be filled by a special election. The governor must declare a special election no later than 10 days after the vacancy happens. The election must be held no less than 30 days and no later than 60 days after the governor calls for the election. The counties representing the vacant district are responsible for conducting the election.
As of April 5, there have been 51 state legislative vacancies in 28 states during 2022. Twenty-two (22) of those vacancies have been filled. Of the 51 vacancies, 33 are Democratic and 18 are Republican. Democrats have filled 15 vacancies, while Republicans have filled seven.
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