Lawsuit compelling US Senate Special Election before 2018 may assure that date sticks

A cloud hangs over the Special Election to fill the vacancy of Senator Jeff Sessions, and it’s not just that Gov. Robert Bentley called for the election to concur with the 2018 General Election some 22 months later or Bentley’s appointment of his nemesis Luther Strange to fill the post. It goes beyond the question that could have been asked Attorney General Steve Marshall, and the lawsuit being pursued by State Auditor Jim Zeigler. While all of these things have led to questionable motives, varying legal interpretations, and general confusion, one thing remains constant: the number of days on the calendar to minimally meet the constitutional requirements for holding a Special Election.

The Special Election’s greatest obstacle may be Zeigler’s lawsuit because the clock is ticking and every day and every delay mean it will be harder to meet the rules governing an election. By filing a lawsuit, Zeigler prevented further action by the only constitutional officer with standing to ask for an attorney general’s opinion.

Hypothetically, if Bentley changed his mind and issued a proclamation on April 3, 2017, calling for a special US Senate election, the earliest a general election could take place would be around November 28, 2017. Move the proclamation date to June, and the election couldn’t happen until early 2018 which would case {further} the case for waiting for the 2018 General Election.

In January, Bentley gave two reasons why he set the Special Election to coincide with the 2018 General Election. The first was to “save millions of dollars” by not incurring the cost of a special election. The second was that special elections have a lower voter turnout. Traveling forward, Bentley has given other reasons.

Read more: http://www.alreporter.com/2017/03/21/lawsuit-compelling-us-senate-special-election-2018-may-assure-date-sticks/