HOW ABOUT A SPECIAL ELECTION?…. I know very little about election law in Illinois, but Dick Durbin’s proposal sounds like a common-sense move.
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said Tuesday he wants a special election called to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat.
At a press conference with reporters on Capitol Hill, Durbin said he wants the Illinois legislature to act quickly to pass a law setting a special election in light of news Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been charged with seeking financial gain over the appointment.
Currently Blagojevich has the sole authority to select Obama’s successor, and is still able to do so unless he resigns or is impeached from office.
“No appointment by this governor under these circumstances could produce a credible replacement,” Durbin said.
Now, if Blagojevich resigns or is impeached and removed from office, this may seem like a moot point, since Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn (D) would assume the office and fill the Senate vacancy.
But Durbin’s recommendation for a special-election process is a good one anyway. As Sam Boyd noted, “It works for House seats everywhere and Senate seats in some other states. It would prevent Blagojevich-style shenanigans (and more prosaic political horse-trading) and simply be a more democratic and transparent process — something Illinois very much needs.”
