Some Arlington voters may be heading back to the polls sooner than they planned.

State Sen. Brent Taylor (R) won two races on Tuesday, Nov. 3: re-election to Tennessee Senate District 31, which covers part of Arlington, and the newly redrawn 9th Congressional District. He can only keep one, and he’s said he’ll likely take the seat in Congress.

The quick version

  • SD31: Taylor beat Democrat David Weatherspoon 38,004 votes (51.9%) to 35,234, per unofficial state results.
  • Congress: Taylor won the 9th District with 111,968 votes (49.63%), about 2,500 ahead of Democratic state Rep. Justin J. Pearson, per the Tennessee Secretary of State’s final unofficial count.
  • The concession: Pearson didn’t concede on election night, but on Wednesday he said in a statement, “I accept the results of this election for Congress.” He’ll stay on as state representative for House District 86.

So what happens to the Senate seat?

If Taylor turns down the state Senate seat, Gov. Bill Lee has to call a special election, Shelby County Administrator of Elections Linda Phillips told the Commercial Appeal. The governor sets the election date within 107 days of issuing the order, and then it runs like any other race, from candidates pulling petitions to early voting.

The Tennessee Constitution (Article II, Section 15) says that when 12 months or more remain before the next legislative general election, voters in the district pick the successor, who serves out the rest of the term. The next general election for legislators is in November 2028, so this one goes to the voters. In the meantime, the county commission of the departing lawmaker’s home county, here the Shelby County Commission, may appoint an interim senator. Only a qualified voter living in the district can fill the seat.

No date has been set yet, and results stay unofficial until they’re certified.

Wait, is Taylor now Arlington’s congressman?

Nope. Arlington sits in the 8th Congressional District, where Rep. David Kustoff (R) won re-election. And Arlington is split between state Senate districts: voters in precinct 01-06 A1 are in District 31, while precinct 01-07 A1 is in District 32, which wasn’t on this year’s ballot. Not sure which one you’re in? Check your voter info at GoVoteTN.

We’ll keep an eye out for the special election date and candidate filing details.

Sources: Tennessee Constitution, Article II, Section 15; Tennessee Secretary of State election results; Shelby County Election Commission results; Commercial Appeal; FOX13 (Pearson statement); Tennessee Lookout.

Photo: Tennessee State Capitol by Kaldari via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)