The South Hall Republican Club plans to sponsor a forum tonight featuring the candidates for Flowery Branch City Council's Post 3.

The club's meeting is set to start at 6:30 p.m., with the forum taking place about 7 p.m., said Ed Asbridge, club president.

Jason Covert, Fred Richards and Pat Zalewski are vying for the seat, formerly held by Kris Yardley.

The election is set for March 6, the same day as Georgia's presidential preference primary. The Post 3 winner will serve out the remainder of Yardley's term, which ends Dec. 31, 2013.

The forum will take place at the Hall County Library System's Spout Springs branch, 6488 Spout Springs Road, or just inside Sterling on the Lake subdivision.

"The format is going to be each candidate is going to have an opening (statement)," Asbridge said. "And then, we've got a series of questions we're going to ask."

The forum should end about 7:45 p.m., Asbridge said.

The Post 3 winner will fill the last empty seat on the council, which has been a revolving door for the past couple of years.

Mary Jones, a former councilwoman re-entering politics, was sworn in Thursday as the council's newest member. She filled the Post 2 seat vacated in January by Chris Fetterman.

Early voting is under way for the Post 3 race. As of Monday morning, 19 people had cast their ballots, City Clerk Marja Burney said.

Residents can cast ballots until March 2 at City Hall, 5517 Main St. The South Hall city has 3,435 registered voters, Burney said.