Special election for a 7 week term? Strange!-----Gov. Rick Snyder calls special election to fill seat of Rep who died hiking

Gov. Rick Snyder calls special election to fill seat of Rep who died hiking | MLive.com
LANSING, MI -- Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday called a special election to fill the seat of Rep. Julie Plawecki, D-Dearborn, who died suddenly while hiking in Oregon last month.
A special primary will take place on Aug. 30 and the general election for the remainder of Plawecki's term -- which runs through Dec. 31, 2016 -- will take place Nov. 8. Candidates must file for the special election primary by July 12.
Meanwhile, Democratic precinct delegates in the 11th House District will select the primary candidate who will run for the next term, which begins in January.
Plawecki did not have a challenger in the Democratic primary, meaning the party's delegates can fill the ballot vacancy by selecting somebody to run against the Republican primary winner.
The election for the next term, beginning Jan. 1, 2017, will also take place on Nov. 8 along with elections for all House members.