In April and May, there has been one irregular officeholder transition in Missouri for offices within Ballotpedia’s coverage scope. This includes the resignation, death, appointment, or winning of a special election in positions such as a state executive office, a seat in the General Assembly, or a non-district judgeship.
Missouri House Rep. Rory Rowland left office on April 17 after he was elected Mayor of Independence, Missouri. Rowland represented District 29 and had been serving in the Missouri House of Representatives since 2015. The vacancy has not been filled.
Currently, there are seven vacancies in the Missouri house of Representatives including District 29. District 34 became vacant after Rick Roeber was expelled from the House by unanimous vote in April 2021. District 65 became vacant after the death of Tom Hannegan in Oct. 2021. District 114 has been vacant since Nov. 2021 and was previously held by Becky Ruth. In the first week of Jan. 2022, Districts 147, 108, and 61 all became vacant. They were held by Wayne Wallingford, Justin Hill, and Aaron Griesheimer, respectively.
Vacancies in the Missouri General Assembly are filled through a special election called by the governor. Missouri is one of 25 states that fill vacancies in the state legislature through special elections. As of April 2022, 45 state legislative special elections have been scheduled nationwide for 2022 in 20 states. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) has not called for any legislative special elections this year. All Missouri House of Representatives districts will be up for regular election on Nov. 8.
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