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Butts County schedules May 19 special election after District 4 school board resignation; Arnita Watson appointed interim member
Summary
Butts County officials announced a special election for May 19, 2026, to fill a vacancy on the Board of Education after District 4 representative Clifford Marshall resigned to run for county commissioner; the board appointed Arnita Watson as interim District 4 member until the election.
Brent Lowe, a presenter addressing Butts County residents, said the Board of Education received an email from Clifford Marshall indicating he would resign his District 4 seat effective Feb. 27 to run for county commissioner. Lowe said the resignation creates a vacancy that must be filled under Georgia law because the county has no local ordinance for such a case.
Lowe read statutory language on the record, citing OCGA 21-2-2 and OCGA 21-2-540, and said the board appointed Ms. Arnita Watson to serve as District 4 board member until the special election. "There will be a call for a special election to be published in the newspaper of appropriate circulation," Lowe said, and added the Elections Office worked with the Secretary of State's office to ensure the process complies "100% by law."
The Elections Office of Butts County, Lowe said, set the special election to coincide with the general primary on May 19, 2026. Qualifying for the special election will be held at the Board of Elections beginning at 8:00 a.m. on March 19 and ending at 5:00 p.m. on March 23, 2026; the qualifying fee is $144. Lowe also relayed procedural dates announced by the elections office: voter registration for the special election is open through close of business on April 20, early voting begins April 27, polls will be open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on election day, and, if needed, a runoff would be held June 16, 2026.
Lowe said the timeline is unusual only because of its proximity to the May primary and added that three other board elections occur that day as part of the regular cycle, two uncontested and one contested. He urged any District 4 residents who wish to run to qualify during the March 19–23 window.
The board did not detail any formal vote count or motion on the appointment in the remarks provided; Lowe described the appointment and the election schedule as the actions taken. The Elections Office contact named in the announcement was Nicole Taylor.
Next steps: qualifying runs March 19–23, 2026; registered voters must register by April 20 to participate in the special election on May 19. If no candidate receives a majority and a runoff is required, it will be held June 16, 2026.
