 Gov. Pat Quinn issued a formal declaration for a special election to
be held to determine a voter-chosen replacement for Barack Obama in
the U.S. Senate.The declaration comes after federal judges agreed
that when a vacancy occurs in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Constitution
mandates a special election be held to decide on a permanent
replacement.
In December 2008, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich
controversially appointed Burris to replace Obama in the U.S.
Senate. Obama had resigned from the legislative chamber to prepare
for becoming president of the United States.
In 2009, political reformers sued the state for not declaring a
special election. Earlier this month, a federal appellate court
upheld that argument.
Marty Oberman, a lawyer on the legal team supporting a special
election, said he was pleased with the result.
"It would've been better if the people of Illinois had been
represented by somebody they elected for the past two years. But the
Constitutional principal is an important one and we feel vindicated
that the federal judges ruled in our favor," he said.
The special election means voters will pick their choice for U.S.
senator twice -- once for the remaining two months in Obama's term
and once for the next six-year term.
The nominees up for election for the six-year term will likely be
carried over into the special election. Federal District Judge John
F. Grady has indicated that he favors using nominees who have
already been chosen.
That means the electoral battle between the front-runners,
Republican Mark Kirk and Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, could be
decided by voters twice.
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Grady had also been considering delegating the task of selecting
nominees to state political parties, which could have taken time and
paperwork.
Ken Menzel, a lawyer with the Illinois State Board of Elections,
said Grady is leaning toward a pragmatic method for deciding
nominees.
"The course the judge has indicated he supports is the most
straightforward and easy to administer of the options the court was
looking at," he said.
Oberman said he expected Grady to make his official decision on
the nomination process in the next day or two.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By KEVIN LEE]
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