Proposed legislation would require prompt action when special elections are required in the legislature. Current state law is silent on the amount of time that can elapse between a vacancy in the legislature and when the governor can call an election to fill it. State Representative Mark Pocan is proposing the bill along with Senator-elect Jennifer Shilling. “We think that providing 60 days is more than generous,” said Pocan. “It provides two months for a governor to call an election. That way the people of the district can quickly be able to elect a new senator or representative and have their voices heard in the legislature.” Why not even less time, say 30 days? Pocan said that could give an unfair advantage to some potential candidates. Shilling’s vacant Assembly seat will have to filled by a special election following her recent recall win over Republican Dan Kapanke.
Read Election Vacancy bill press release (PDF)
