From: "Glenn Meadows" 

Each state determines how representatives are sent when an elected official
is unable to fill his term.  Some states mandate an election immediately,
some have it happen in the next yearly (one or two year cycle), while
others state constitutions mandate that governor appoints someone to fill
the vacant seat.

This is not mandated by the federal government, since they are
representative so each state, it's done at the state level.

And it can go the other way, a Republican who can't fill his term could
have his replacement appointed by a Democrat governor.

That's life.  If the residents in a given state don't like how their state
does it, they can amend their own states constitution to change it.

--

Glenn M.
"Phil Payne"  wrote in
message news:4580968a$1{at}w3.nls.net...
> http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/12/13/democratic-senator-hospitalized
-for-possible-stroke/
>
> "Mr. Johnson's health could have a bearing on the makeup of the Senate,
> where the Democrats won a one-vote majority in the November elections. If
> his health problems are serious enough to prevent him from serving, the
> Republican governor of the state, Mike Rounds, would name a replacement to
> his seat, theoretically raising the possibility of a 50-50 split."
>
> HUH?
>
> This is a "democracy"?  Doesn't sound like it to me.  If an
MP snuffs it,
> we
> have a "by-election" and the people get to decide who replaces him.
>
> You know, after the Florida business with Shrub and now this, I think the
> Yanks ought to sort out their own "democracy" before trying
to foist it on
> others with bombs.
>
> --
>  Phil Payne
>  http://www.isham-research.co.uk
>  +44 7833 654 800
>
>

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