But here’s a bipartisan solution: an electoral vote buddy system. Red and blue states of similar size should pair up and pass state laws to apportion their electoral votes by district.
[John] Lewis, a champion of the seniority system, was downbeat after the tally was announced, “I think in the long run we will pay for what we did today,” he said. “It’s not good for the order of things.”
Unlike most states that allow the governor to appoint a replacement, Massachusetts law says that a vacant US Senate seat would have to be filled by a special election within 140 to 160 days of the resignation. The Democrat-controlled Legislature approved the law when Kerry was running for president in 2004, to prevent Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican, from appointing a possible successor.
Democrats could try to change the law back to ensure Republicans don't pull off a surprise victory. Patrick indicated yesterday he was open to the idea of reverting to the old system of appointments, but said he was "not pushing a change."
"In every case, the party that happened to be in power when the Depression eased went on to dominate politics for a decade or more thereafter.....voters simply— and simple- mindedly— rewarded whoever happened to be in power when things got better."
