Four candidates have qualified for the ballot in a special primary election for the state Senate seat vacated by Carrollton Republican Bill Hamrick, who stepped down to become a Superior Court judge.

The deadline to qualify passed on Friday.

A special primary will be held in the district on Nov. 6, the same day as the general election. A runoff election, if needed, will be held on Dec. 4.

Mike Dugan, a Carrollton general contractor, became the fourth candidate Thursday to qualify for the Nov. 6 District 30 state Senate special Republican primary.

Dugan, 49, a 20-year Army veteran, joins three others who qualified Wednesday. They are state Rep. Bill Hembree, an insurance agent from Winston; James Naughton, 52, a Carrollton business consultant; and former Georgia Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson, 52, a Hiram attorney.

Senate District 30 includes portions of Carroll, Douglas and Paulding counties, including the cities of Carrollton, Temple, Villa Rica, Douglasville, Dallas and Hiram.

Those who are not registered to vote and want to vote in the Republican special primary election must register before the close of business on Oct. 9.

Hamrick ran unopposed for re-election to his District 30 state Senate seat in the July 31 Republican primary. No Democratic candidates ran for the seat in the July 31 primary.

“Since no Democrats qualified during the original primary, the law requires that only a special Republican primary be held on Nov. 6,” said Jared Thomas, spokesman for the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.

Hamrick is filling the Coweta Circuit judicial vacancy created by the resignation of Judge William E. Lee Jr., who resigned May 1. He was chosen by Gov. Nathan Deal from a short list of six candidates named in July.

Hamrick’s swearing-in ceremony for the new judicial position was held at 9 a.m. Monday at the Carroll County Courthouse.