Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Monday the date of the special election required for House District 171 which became vacant with the death of Rep. Jay Powell, R-Camilla.

The special election will be Jan. 28 for the district, which includes parts of Colquitt, Decatur and Mitchell counties. A run-off, if needed, will be Feb. 25.

Qualifying for the special election will be in the Elections Division of the Office of Secretary of State in Atlanta on Dec. 16 and 17 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Dec. 18 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The qualifying fee is $400.

Dec. 30 is the last day to register to vote in the special election.

The Secretary of State is Georgia’s chief election officer and has the mission to help ensure secure and accurate elections. County election officials run the actual elections and handle voter registration.

Georgia is a leader in election innovation and access with automatic voter registration through the Department of Driver Services, three weeks of early voting – including a Saturday, and no-excuse absentee voting. It is the top state in the number of motor voter registrations and in the last election cycle experienced record registration and a record increase in turnout.