Maryland Senate votes for special elections to fill legislative vacancies

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland voters would decide in a special election whether people who are appointed to vacancies in the state legislature keep their seats in the first two years of a term, under a proposed constitutional amendment approved by the state Senate on Tuesday.

The measure, which passed on a 43-2 vote, now goes to the Maryland House. If the House approves, it will go on the ballot for voters to have the final say in November.

Maryland lawmakers have been weighing changes to how vacancies are filled in the General Assembly, because roughly 25% of its 188 members were initially appointed to their seats, instead of being elected by the voters.

Currently, local political central committees choose someone to fill vacancies when a lawmaker leaves office. That name is sent to the governor, who then formalizes the selection with an appointment.

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In the current process, it’s possible for someone to be appointed early in a term and go on to serve more then three years as a state