“(Senate) appointments are an anachronism that must end.”
Russ Feingold To Introduce Constitutional Amendment To End US Senate Appointments
Good:
“The controversies surrounding some of the recent gubernatorial appointments to vacant Senate seats make it painfully clear that such appointments are an anachronism that must end. In 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution gave the citizens of this country the power to finally elect their senators. They should have the same power in the case of unexpected mid term vacancies, so that the Senate is as responsive as possible to the will of the people. I plan to introduce a constitutional amendment this week to require special elections when a Senate seat is vacant, as the Constitution mandates for the House, and as my own state of Wisconsin already requires by statute. As the Chairman of the Constitution Subcommittee, I will hold a hearing on this important topic soon.”
Good for Russ — there isn’t really much reason NOT to have a special election for vacant seats. Perhaps there should be some provision that there could be a temp selected to keep up the business of the state in the Senate, but if the Special Election is held within months of the vacancy, that selection would not be able to campaign and do the job at the same time.
There are very unusual circumstances this year, with so many vacant Senate seats.