Md. eyes changes to filling vacancies
Nearly half of the state lawmakers from Maryland’s largest county and about 1 in 4 statewide were not originally elected to their seats. Instead, they were appointed, sent to Annapolis by a handful of local party officials, according to a recent analysis from Common Cause Maryland, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for fair elections.
And, with nine vacancies filled through appointments in the Maryland General Assembly this year and a 10th in the works, election advocates are renewing a push to change a process they say concentrates power into the hands of people on elected but politically connected local panels.
That power should be in the hands of the voters, they say, and they are pushing for legislation that would send that question to voters in a referendum next November. Some lawmakers, including Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, support those efforts.
Ferguson predicted there would be “real conversation” during the 2024 legislative session about changing the process, with an eye toward making it more democratic.
“People are talking about it, a lot,” said Ferguson, who has supported past legislative efforts and expressed a desire in a recent interview to see the process changed.
In Maryland, vacancies in the General Assembly are filled by locally elected party central committees, which forward a candidate’s name to the governor for final approval. Stand-ins, who must belong to the same party as the person they are replacing, then fill out the remainder of that person’s four-year term.
“The General Assembly can’t continue to allow a handful of individuals to speak on behalf of thousands of voters,” Joanne Antoine, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, said of the process.
About half of states across the country fill vacancies with special elections, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures — a process that is more costly and complex. Conversations about the appointment process also are underway in Colorado, where a committee makes a selection.
Common Cause Maryland and Maryland PIRG say there should be special elections called to fill legislative vacancies, which is what happens if there is an unexpected vacancy in the office of comptroller, the attorney general, or the U.S. Senate.