The deadline to qualify to run in the upcoming special Board of Aldermen election is today at 5 p.m.

However, since City Hall has been closed since Monday due to the winter storm that hit Oxford, no one else can qualify.

The three candidates who have already qualified are Mary Martha Crowe, Brad Feltenstein and Jason Plunk.

Lafayette County Circuit Court Clerk Jeff Busby said the weather is an “act of God” and potential candidates had close to three weeks to qualify if they wanted to run. State law dictates that candidates must qualify 20 days before the election.

The election is to fill the open At-Large seat on the board left empty when former Alderman John Morgan was elected in November to become the District 2 supervisor for Lafayette County.

The election will be held on Feb. 6 and all citizens may cast their ballots at the Oxford Conference Center. If neither of the three candidates earns 50-plus percent of the votes, a run-off election will be held on Feb. 20 between the two candidates who earned the most votes.

Absentee voting will be allowed; however, Busby said when that period will open will depend on how quickly the paperwork will be processed since many local and state government agencies have been closed due to the winter storm.