Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that Nov. 7 will be the date of a special election to fill the seat of disgraced former state Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City.

The House unanimously voted on May 9 to expel Slaton less than a month ago, after an internal investigation found he had sex with a 19-year-old aide after getting her drunk.

The candidate filing deadline for the special election is Sept. 6, with early voting to start Oct. 23.

Nov. 7 is the date of local elections across Texas, including the Houston mayoral contest.

The seat in House District 2 is solidly Republican and covers three rural counties in Northeast Texas.

At least five Republicans have already announced they are running — Jill Dutton, president of the Republican Women of Van Zandt; Heath Hyde, a Sulphur Springs lawyer; Brent Money, a Greenville lawyer; Doug Roszhart, vice chair of the Hunt County GOP; and Buck VanTrease, a veterinarian from Wills Point.

Slaton was the first member of the Texas Legislature to be removed from office since 1927. Slaton submitted his resignation a day earlier, but the House moved forward with expulsion anyway.