Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced that the special election to fill the House seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. John Conyers, who declared his resignation this week amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

“Having ample time for candidates to make a decision about running for office and file their paperwork gives people more options as to who will next represent them in Congress,” Snyder, a Republican, said in a statement Friday. “In order to allow several months for that to take place and to reduce the financial burden on local taxpayers, the primary and general elections will be held when regularly scheduled elections are already occurring.”