Which laws and state officials determine scheduling of Georgia special elections for U.S. House seats?

1. Who legally controls special‑election timing in Georgia: the General Assembly writes the rules, the Secretary of State executes them

The Georgia General Assembly writes election statutes and can pass laws that change timing or structure of elections — for example, legislators passed HB 1312 affecting PSC election timing — while the Secretary of State’s Elections Division implements those laws by issuing formal notices and Calls for Special Election that set dates, qualifying periods, absentee windows and related deadlines ^{[4] [2]}. Georgia’s published 2025 election calendar cites the statutory rule that “at least 29 days shall intervene between the call of a special election and the holding of same,” a provision the Secretary’s office uses when scheduling ^[1].

2. The Secretary of State is the public face and administrator who “calls” special elections

Georgia’s Secretary of State issues public Calls for Special Election that contain the firm election date, qualifying dates and absentee/advance voting windows; recent examples include Calls for special elections for Public Service Commission seats and multiple state legislative vacancies in 2025 ^{[2] [3] [5] [6]}. County election offices then follow those statewide calls to run precincts, handle absentee ballots and certify returns, all under the Secretary’s schedule and state law ^{[7] [8]}.

3. Statutory constraints cited in state materials — what the timetable must respect

The Secretary of State’s official 2025 Elections Calendar cites key Georgia Election Code provisions used in timing and deadlines — for instance, the 29‑day minimum between call and election (O.C.G.A. §21‑2‑540(b) cited by the calendar) and deadlines around certification and recount requests ^[1]. County guidance also quotes Georgia Code sections when announcing advance voting and risk‑limiting audits selected by the Secretary under the Code ^{[7] [1]}.

4. How U.S. House vacancies differ from state vacancies in available reporting

None of the provided sources include a direct citation detailing a unique Georgia statute specifically governing special elections for U.S. House vacancies versus state legislative or local vacancies; reporting and official material in the packet focus on state and county special elections (PSC, state House, state Senate, county offices) and on the Secretary’s practice of issuing Calls consistent with state law ^{[2] [3] [6] [5]}. Available sources do not mention a separate procedure or different official beyond the Secretary of State and the General Assembly for U.S. House special‑election scheduling in Georgia (not found in current reporting).

5. Where disputes or changes typically arise — legislation and litigation

When timing or election structure becomes controversial, the General Assembly can pass a law to alter schedules (as reported for PSC seats with HB 1312), and litigation can delay or prompt new scheduling; the Wikipedia summary and Secretary of State notices together show that both enacted laws and court actions have influenced special‑election timing in recent cycles ^{[4] [2]}. That pattern means contested rules can shift: legislatures write statutory deadlines and the Secretary applies them; courts can intervene if the statute or its implementation is challenged ^[4].

6. Practical takeaway for U.S. House vacancies and voters

In practice, watch two sources to know when a special election will occur: ^[9] legislation or statutory text from the Georgia General Assembly that sets or alters timing rules (the Assembly’s website and statutes), and ^[10] the Secretary of State’s official Call for Special Election and the Secretary’s calendar, which provide the election date, qualifying period and absentee schedules used by counties ^{[1] [2]}. County election offices publish local instructions and sample ballots once the Secretary issues the Call ^{[8] [11]}.

Limitations: the provided documents show how Georgia schedules and announces special elections for state and local offices and cite key statutory timing rules, but the current set of sources does not include a Georgia statute text that is explicitly limited to U.S. House vacancies or a recent Call for a U.S. House special election; therefore I do not assert specifics beyond what the Secretary’s Calls and the state calendar state ^{[1] [2]}.