The latest crap by Virginia Republicans…
GOP Passes Bill That Could Leave U.S. Senate Vacancies Unfilled
RICHMOND, Va. – The Republican-controlled House of Delegates yesterday passed a bill that would empower a sitting governor to allow a vacant U.S. Senate seat to remain so indefinitely.
“This bill could disenfranchise Virginia’s 5.6 million voters,” said House Democratic Leader David J. Toscano. “Current law requires that an election be held for the vacant seat within a specified period of time. This bill grants the governor permission to call a special election, but it includes no timeframe by which the governor must do so. It empowers a governor from either party who is afraid that his party could not win a special election in a given political climate to simply leave the seat vacant indefinitely.”
“Last week Republicans killed eleven bills that would have made voting easier for Virginia’s seniors and working families,” said House Caucus Chair Charniele Herring. “Then they passed a bill that unnecessarily complicates elections for a vacant U.S. Senate seat, while we still wait for a full vote on an independent redistricting commission. Making voting harder and complicating the election process is harmful to our democracy.”
Speaker of the House William J. Howell still has not responded to Toscano’s formal request for a full floor vote on a redistricting amendment.
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