Some metro Atlantans are about to do a political double take. On May 19, 2026, many voters in Georgia State Senate District 7, which includes parts of Duluth, Suwanee and Berkeley Lake in northern Gwinnett County, will see the same State Senate seat appear twice on their ballots. One contest is a special election to finish the remainder of Nabilah Parkes’ current term, and the other is a party primary to pick nominees for the full two-year term that follows. Voters who choose a party ballot and expect one simple Senate race could find themselves staring at two versions of the same seat.
Gov. Brian Kemp set this in motion in late March when he issued a writ of election calling a special contest for May 19 to fill the District 7 vacancy after Parkes resigned to run for lieutenant governor, according to the Office of the Governor. Because that special election date lines up with Georgia’s already scheduled statewide primary, both contests land on the same ballot.
How One Seat Appears Twice On The Ballot
Here is how the odd setup works. Since the governor scheduled the special election for the same day as the statewide primary, voters who pick a Democratic or Republican ballot on May 19 will see two separate contests for the District 7 Senate seat. Voters who select a nonpartisan ballot will only see the special election. State election officials say this kind of overlap hardly ever happens; they told reporters they could not recall another time a special election and a primary for the same seat showed up together on a single ballot, according to WABE.
Who’s On Each Part Of The Ballot
Gwinnett County’s consolidated sample ballots show a crowded field for District 7. The special election lineup includes Astrid S. Ross (Democrat), Adrienne White (Democrat) and Aizaz Shahbaz Shaikh (Republican). The primary contests are separated by party: the Democratic primary lists Ruwa Romman, Rahul Garabadu and Ross, while Shaikh appears on the Republican primary ballot. All of this appears in county sample ballots published by Gwinnett County.
Dates, Runoffs and Where Candidates Qualified
The Secretary of State’s notice states that advance in-person absentee voting for the May 19 election begins April 27. If the special election heads to overtime, a special runoff would take place on June 16. Candidates qualified at the Secretary of State’s Elections Division in Atlanta, according to the official special election call from the Secretary of State.
What Election Officials Are Saying
The Secretary of State’s office freely admits this is not a scenario they see every cycle. Officials there told reporters they could not think of another example where a special election and a primary for the same office landed together on the same ballot. “It’s a very unusual circumstance in Georgia elections,” spokesperson Mike Hassinger told WABE.
How To Check Your Ballot
Voters who want to see exactly what will be waiting for them at the polls can preview their ballots before heading out. The Secretary of State’s My Voter Page allows voters to review their specific ballot style, and Gwinnett County lists local sample ballots and voting details. My Voter Page and Gwinnett Voter Registrations & Elections both provide sample ballots, early voting locations and contact information for anyone with questions about this two-for-one Senate situation.
