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January 10, 2008

Amendment would let voters fill office vacancies

A constitutional amendment that would give voters the chance to elect an official to fill a mid-term vacancy will be reintroduced this year at the State House.

Sen. Leonidas Raptakis, D-Coventry, East Greenwich, Warwick, West Warwick, said in a statement that giving residents the vote instead of allowing positions to be filled by a legislative vote or gubernatorial appointment is an issue of separation of powers.

If the bill passes, vacancies in the office of lieutenant governor, secretary of state, general treasurer and attorney general would be filled by a general election when the position is vacated less than halfway into the term.

“This is a reasonable measure to make sure that voters have the chance to elect new general officers if there is at least half the term remaining,” Raptakis said in a statement.

“If the vacancy occurs toward the latter half of a four-year term, there is no need to go to the trouble and expense of an election. But a vacancy of two years or more should be filled by the voters, since there is ample time to schedule and conduct an election.”

The legislative process of choosing an official requires a decision by the Grand Committee, a majority of members of the Senate and the House. The last time this process was used was in 2000, when then-Secretary of State James Langevin left office after being elected to Congress.

“This process,” Raptakis said in his statement, “sticks out like a sore thumb in this era of separation of powers and government reform.”

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 2:23 PM | Permalink

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Walt | January 10, 2008 4:14 PM link

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