Gov. Kevin Stitt has scheduled a special election for an Oklahoma County District Court seat left vacant after a candidate's death.

Stitt set the candidate filing period for Dec. 7–9 and election dates of Feb. 9, 2027, and April 6, 2027, for the District 7 Office 10 judicial seat, NonDoc reported Sept. 10. Which date serves as the primary and which as the general depends on how many candidates file.

The special election was triggered by the death of Warren Plunk, 54, a criminal defense attorney who died Aug. 29 at his home in Oklahoma City. Plunk had filed to challenge incumbent District Judge Susan Stallings, and their matchup had been the only contest for the seat on the Nov. 3 general election ballot, according to NonDoc's earlier reporting.

Under an Oklahoma law last amended in 1991, the governor must call a special election when a general election candidate for a judicial race dies before ballot printing begins. The new filing period reopens the race, giving other Oklahoma County attorneys a chance to run for the seat.

Plunk earned his law degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 2003 and was admitted to the Oklahoma bar in 2006. He had raised just under $20,000 in campaign contributions, with about $9,000 remaining in his campaign accounts, NonDoc reported. Stallings had raised more than $26,000 and had more than $21,000 in her reelection war chest before the filing period reopens.

Stallings first won the bench in 2018 after defeating incumbent District Judge Bill Graves. She told The Oklahoman on Aug. 30, after Plunk's death, "He is such a decent guy."

No official proclamation document from the governor's office has been published online. Filing details are available through the Oklahoma State Election Board.