Qualifying is now underway for the District 53 seat in the Georgia State Senate. The Special Election will be held on March 10 in Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Walker, and a portion of Floyd Counties to fill the vacancy created by Senator Colton Moore’s qualifying for the special election in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District for the U.S. House of Representatives.

If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, a Special Runoff Election will be held on April 7, 2026.

The following candidates have qualified so far:

Republicans

  • Blake Elsberry, former Chattooga County Commissioner

  • Denise Pierce Burns, homemaker and home educator from Catoosa County

  • Lanny Thomas, retired educator from Chattooga County and former mayor of the Town of Trion

Democrats

  • John Bentley (Jack) Zibluk, professor of communication from Walker County

Qualifying is being conducted at the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State’s Elections Division, located at 2 MLK Jr. Dr., Floyd West Tower, Suite 802, Atlanta. Qualifying continues Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Monday, February 2, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The qualifying fee is $400.

The deadline to register to vote for the special election is Monday, February 9, 2026. Advance in-person absentee voting will begin on Monday, February 16.