The D.C. Board of Elections announced Wednesday it will hold a special election on June 16 to fill the seat being vacated by embattled Ward 2 D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans, who said this week he is resigning in the wake of revelations that he violated conflict of interest rules.

The special election will be held two weeks after the District’s June 2 primary election. The winners of the primary will go on to compete in the November general election for a full four-year term representing Ward 2 on the Council, while the victor in the special election will serve out the remainder of Evans’ term, which ends in January 2021.

The elections board could have opted to run both elections on the same day, but spokeswoman LaDawne White said the decision was made in order to “minimize confusion among voters.” Only voters registered with a political party are allowed to vote in the primary, while any registered voter can cast a ballot in the special election.

Evans’ resignation—which is effective Jan. 17—from the seat he has held for almost three decades is giving Ward 2 voters something they haven’t had in a long time: a competitive election, or a pair of them. The last time Evans had a real challenger was in 2008.

And the fact that there are two elections two weeks apart in Ward 2 raises interesting questions and possibilities about how voter turnout will differ between the two contests, especially since the June 2 election is also D.C.’s presidential primary. And there is a chance that candidates in the primary could run in the special election, or, more confusingly, that one person could win in the primary while another wins the special.

Five of the six candidates in the Democratic primary—Patrick Kennedy, Jordan Grossman, Kishan Putta, John Fanning and Yilin Zhang—tell WAMU they plan on also running in the special election. That means they will have to submit different paperwork to get on the ballot for each election: 250 signatures from Ward 2 voters for the primary, and 500 signatures for the special election. Additionally, the Office of Campaign Finance says they will have to set up separate campaigns and fundraising operations for each election.

The other Democratic hopeful—Daniel Hernandez—did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

There have been several special elections for Council seats in recent years; in 2015 for the Ward 4 and 8 seats; in 2013 for an At-Large seat; in 2012 for a Ward 5 seat; and in 2011 for an At-Large seat. The elections tend to see lower overall turnout, and in the past have served as stepping stones for candidates to become full-fledged members of the Council (including Brandon Todd, Anita Bonds, and Kenyan McDuffie).

In 1997, David Catania—then running as a Republican—won a surprise victory for an At-Large seat on the Council in a special election with only a 7 percent turnout. And Evans himself first made his way onto the Council in 1991 in a special election he narrowly won.

Nothing in D.C. law prohibits Evans from running for the seat again, and he hasn’t ruled out the possibility.

This story originally appeared on WAMU. 

Previously:
Jack Evans Resigns From The D.C. Council
A Handy Guide To All Of The Investigations Into Jack Evans
D.C. Council Unanimously Recommends Expelling Jack Evans From Office