Local/Regional News

Kentucky moves to shift replacement of vacant Senate seats from appointment to election

WUKY | By Clay Wallace

Published March 20, 2024 at 3:13 PM EDT

The 17th Amendment, which House Bill 622's sponsor Representative Steven Rudy cited, provided that "Senators shall be elected by the people" rather than appointed by the legislature, which was the process prior to its ratification in 1913.

A bill allowing vacant U.S. Senate seats to be filled via special elections instead of by gubernatorial appointment passes its final committee meeting and heads to the Senate floor.

House Bill 622’s sponsor, Representative Steven Rudy, presents his bill as a way to bring Kentucky up-to-date with the 17th amendment, passed over a century ago.

"Prior to 1913, members of the General Assembly of Kentucky decided who our United States Senators were. And then, in 1913, the Constitution of the United States was amended to allow for election by popular vote of the electorate the United States Senators."

HB 622 states that, in the event of a vacancy in the US Senate, Kentucky’s governor would issue a proclamation for a special election, with the winner holding the office for the remainder of the unexpired term. Under current law , such a vacancy would be filled by the governor’s appointment. The bill passed 10 to 1, the only “no” vote being from Senator Cassie Chambers Armstrong, which Senator Damon Thayer criticized while explaining his vote.

"I'm surprised that my colleague [Armstrong] voted no," said Thayer, "Because her party's governor said we should let the people decide in the event of a vacancy."