Norton Bill to Give District Flexibility in Scheduling Special Elections Set for House Vote on Wednesday

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's (D-DC) bill to give the District of Columbia flexibility in scheduling special elections is scheduled to be voted on by the House tomorrow, February 29. Norton expressed frustration last month when the District was forced to delay the Ward 5 council seat special election until May 15 instead of being able to hold it during the April 3 primary because the bill died in the Senate last Congress due to an anonymous hold after she got it passed in the House.

Current law requires the city to wait 114 days before holding a special election to fill a vacancy, but Norton, at the request of the Mayor and D.C. Council, introduced the District of Columbia Special Election Reform Act to provide a window between 70 and 174 days to schedule a special election.

The law would apply to the Mayor and Council, as well as to the Attorney General, when that office becomes an elected position in 2014. By giving the District a window to hold special elections for these positions, the Board of Elections will be able to more quickly schedule elections to fill vacancies, avoid scheduling elections on religious holidays, and more often be able to schedule special elections to coincide with other elections

Published: Fubruary 28, 2012