The polls have closed on three legislative races to fill vacant seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, including one in Oklahoma City that will now be held by a former district judge.

House lawmakers finished this year’s session with empty seats after three members resigned to take other jobs. The seats were filled in special elections held in Oklahoma County and the Tulsa area. The state Senate filled its own vacancy in May with the election of Republican Bryan Logan, who is the new state senator for a district in eastern Oklahoma.

The political balance of the Oklahoma House of Representatives won’t change much, if at all. Each of the winners during the Tuesday, June 10 election are the same party as their predecessor, meaning neither party lost a seat. The special election leaves the House with 81 Republicans and 20 Democrats.

Former district judge elected representative in Oklahoma City

Former District Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons was victorious in the special election to fill a seat vacated in April by recently elected Oklahoma County Commissioner Jason Lowe.

Timmons defeated JeKia Harrison in the Democratic primary with 59% of the vote, according to results posted by the Oklahoma State Election Board.

This primary was a winner-take-all election. No Republicans or independents filed for the open House of Representatives seat. District 97 includes portions of far northeast Oklahoma City, plus the metro-area communities of Spencer, Lake Aluma and Forest Park. The district also includes voters in parts of Jones and Midwest City.

Timmons, 64, was an elected Oklahoma County district judge for about a decade before she retired from the position in March. Before joining the bench in 2014, she was an attorney working on civil rights and employment law, and also worked for a time in the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office.

Timmons is a graduate of OKC’s John Marshall High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Oklahoma State University. She obtained her law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

Harrison, 35, has worked at the Oklahoma State Capitol as a legislative assistant for Tulsa state Rep. Meloyde Blancett. Harrison previously worked as child welfare specialist for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and also owns a political campaign consulting business called Pen 2 Paper Consulting.

Urban Tulsa seat decided during June 10 special election

House District 71 is a sliver of land along the Arkansas River in south Tulsa. The seat became vacant after the resignation of Democratic state Rep. Amanda Swope, who left state government to work for the city of Tulsa.

In the district’s special election, Democrat Amanda Clinton won by a wide margin over Republican attorney Beverly Atteberry. Clinton secured 85% of the votes.

Clinton, 46, runs a public relations firm and is an adjunct professor at Oklahoma State University. She also sits on boards for Planned Parenthood and the OSU Foundation Board of Governors. Clinton previously said she’s an advocate for reproductive health freedom, access to medical care, clean water and minimizing “state Superintendent Ryan Walters’ impact on public schools.” She is also active in tribal policy.

“District 71 deserves leadership that shows up, speaks truth, and fights like hell for working people, and that’s exactly what I plan to do,” Clinton said in a news release celebrating her victory.

Although once a Republican stronghold, District 71 has been held by a Democrat since 2018.

More: One election may have reshaped Oklahoma Senate GOP’s politics. Could it shift even further right?

Longtime Republican seat in Owasso up for grabs

Owasso pastor and Republican nominee Kevin Wayne Norwood was victorious in House District 74.

Norwood defeated Democrat Amy Hossain with about 65% of the vote.

The district straddles Tulsa and Rogers counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Voters have elected a Republican in that district for 25 years. The seat became vacant in December when Mark Vancuren took a job in Tulsa County government.

Norwood, 58, is a pastor and works with community initiatives like Keep Owasso Beautiful and Owasso Cares. Norwood has said he wants to build a vibrant economy, safer communities and strong infrastructure and to give Oklahomans tax relief. His priorities also include revitalizing community main streets, and he criticized the “green energy grift” on his website.

Hossain, 50, is the chief human resources officer Tulsa’s Domestic Violence Intervention Services. She is also the president of the nonprofit Khan Ohana, which works to “break the cycle of poverty among college students.”