If the time is short, leave the seat empty. The House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee on Wednesday approved a constitutional amendment that would end special elections for legislative vacancies that take place 13 months before the next statewide general election. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Rusty Glover, R-Semmes, got altered before passing the Senate last week. The proposal at first would have allowed the governor to appoint legislators to vacancies if there were less than two years remaining in the term. But Glover said that idea — which would expand the chief executive’s powers in a state government weighted toward the Legislature — faced a struggle.
“There was opposition in both houses,” he said.
The Senate substituted the bill Thursday before approving the measure 27 to 0. In its current form, the amendment would cancel special elections for vacancies that occur after Oct. 1 of the third year of a quadrennium.
Full Article: Some special elections would end under proposed amendment.