TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa voters in City Council District 5 will head to the polls Dec. 8 for a special municipal election to fill the vacant seat previously held by longtime Council President Kip Tyner.
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The city announced that polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Alberta Baptist Church, located at 2210 University Blvd. East, which will serve as the polling location for District 5.
Candidates interested in seeking the seat can qualify beginning Tuesday, Oct. 13, with the qualifying period set to close at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27.
The special election comes following the death of Tyner on Sept. 18 at age 70.
As Patch previously reported, Tyner was first elected to represent District 5 in 1997 and was serving his seventh consecutive term on the City Council and his second as council president at the time of his death.
Tyner represented the Alberta area for nearly three decades and played a prominent role in its rebuilding following the April 27, 2011, tornado.
His tenure also included work on projects such as the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center, recruitment of SWJ Technology and improvements along University Boulevard East.
Patch also reported the city has since announced plans to rename Alberta Park as Kip Tyner Plaza and 26th Avenue East as Kip Tyner Parkway in his honor.
The city says candidates for municipal office must be registered voters, have been full-time Tuscaloosa residents for at least one year before qualifying and cannot hold another elective office.
Absentee voting for the District 5 election is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, through the Tuscaloosa City Clerk's Office.
Voters can cast absentee ballots in person or by mail after completing an absentee ballot application.
Thursday, Dec. 3, is the deadline to apply for a regular absentee ballot.
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