By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

MONTGOMERY – Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has laid out a timeline for filling the Alabama House of Representatives District 41 vacancy left when former state Rep. Mike Hill, R-Columbiana, was named superintendent of the State Banking Department.

Bentley named Hill head of the Banking Department in early July, creating the vacancy in the House of Representatives. Hill had been serving in the House since 1986.

On July 27, Bentley called a special election and laid out a timeline for electing Hill’s replacement in the House.

House District 41 is entirely contained in Shelby County, and primarily covers parts of the county south of U.S. 280 and east of Interstate 65.

According to Bentley, a primary election for the House District 41 seat, if necessary, will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 18. The primary election will only be held if two or more candidates qualify in the major political parties.

If the primary election goes to a runoff, the primary runoff will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. If the primary election goes to a runoff, the general election will be scheduled for Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

If a primary election is not required because each major political party only qualifies one candidate, or if the primary election does not go to a runoff, the general election for the seat will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017.

Republican and Democratic candidates have until 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 15, to qualify to run in the election, and the parties have until noon on Aug. 16 to qualify their candidates with the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office.

Independent and minor party candidates have until Tuesday, Oct. 18, to qualify with the Secretary of State’s Office.

As of July 28, current Shelby County Commissioner Corley Ellis, a Republican, was the only candidate who had publically announced his intentions to run for the House District 41 seat.