Special election set for Dennigan’s House seat

A special election will be held Dec. 29 in East Providence and Pawtucket to fill the seat of former state Rep. Elizabeth Dennigan, Secretary of State Ralph Mollis said Wednesday.

Dennigan, a Democrat, resigned her District 62 seat last week to run for Congress.

Mollis said a primary will be held Nov. 24, if necessary. Residents must register to vote by Oct. 24 to vote in the primary. Nov. 28 is the deadline for registering to vote in the special election.

“Given the difficult reality of the upcoming holidays, we focused on creating a calendar that encourages voter turnout while ensuring residents will have representation in the House as soon as possible,“  Mollis said in a news release.

Dennigan had represented District 62 since 1997. Mollis said the district stretches along the banks of the Seekonk River in East Providence and Pawtucket.

Candidates must file their Declaration of Candidacy on Oct. 15 or Oct. 16. Candidates must file their declarations with the board of canvassers in the city in which they are registered to vote. Candidates must be registered House District 62 voters.