A series of public forums has been scheduled for candidates in the special District 30 state Senate race and the state House races for Districts 18 and 69.

The District 30 Senate candidates will speak Tuesday in a forum hosted by the Carroll County Tea Party Association at 7 p.m. in the Stallings Center Athletic Room on South White Street in Carrollton.

“We’re soliciting voter questions in advance,” said local tea party chairman Jim Watters. “Your question can be of a general nature or specific to the issues that may come before the legislature in the next session.”

Watters asked that questions be sent by Monday to the e-mail address: carrollteaparty@gmail.com.

The League of Women Voters of Carrollton and Carroll County will host a District 30 candidate forum on Oct. 15.

The event will be held from 7-9 p.m. in the commission chambers auditorium, David Perry County Administration Building on College Street in Carrollton.

Four candidates have qualified for the Nov. 6 District 30 special Republican primary. They are:

• Mike Dugan, 49, a Carrollton general contractor.

• Bill Hembree, 46, a Winston insurance agent and member of Georgia House of Representatives before resigning this month.

• James Naughton, 52, a Carrollton business consultant.

• Glenn Richardson, 52, a Hiram attorney and former speaker of the Georgia House.

The District 30 seat became vacant Sept. 10 when Sen. Bill Hamrick, R-Carrollton, resigned to accept an appointment from Gov. Nathan Deal as a Coweta Judicial Circuit Superior Court judge to replace Judge William Lee who announced his retirement earlier this year.

The District 18 and District 69 Georgia House of Representative candidates for the Nov. 6 general election will get a chance to square off on Oct. 1 at another League of Women Voters forum. These two districts include parts of Carroll County.

The event will be held from 7-9 p.m. in the commission chambers auditorium of the David Perry County Administration Building.

In District 18, incumbent Republican Kevin Cooke, 32, a Carrollton real estate appraiser, will face Democrat Pat Rhudy, 61, Carrollton, a Census employee and substitute teacher.

In District 69, incumbent Republican Randy Nix, 60, a LaGrange minister, is being challenged by Democrat Herbert Giles, 57, Carrollton, a courier.

According to LWV president Robin Collins, the following procedure will be observed in their public political forums:

“The moderator will open the forum,” she said. “Candidates will give their opening remarks. The moderator will seek questions from the audience, with the questions being written on note cards. Audience questions may be directed to a particular candidate or all candidates. The assistant moderator will combine any audience questions that are similar.

“The moderator will close the question portion, and each candidate will be given time to deliver closing remarks.”

“We won’t have panelists at the Oct. 1 forum and we’ll only take audience questions,” Collins said. “This is something we’re trying new and may go back to having panelists in the Oct. 15 House forum.”

Collins said the League reserves the right to adjust the format of the candidate forums when it is in the best interest of informing the voters, with advance notice given to the candidates.

She noted that the League of Women Voters is a non-partisan, issue-driven organization that supports voters as active participants in the democratic process, but does not support or oppose any specific political party or candidates.