O'Malley wants to push legislation through the General Assembly to allow the state to skip a special primary and go straight to a special general election. A single vote held quickly could cut costs to an estimated $1 million and allow the winner to enter Congress before the legislative year ends in September.
The costs would be shouldered primarily by Montgomery and Prince George's counties, which would be responsible for paying election judges, renting polling places, sending out sample ballots and paying overtime for election staffers.
State senators introduced a bill for a special general election in July, which would give the victor six months to serve in Washington. Under current law, state Sen. Roy P. Dyson told his colleagues, a new primary could not be held until August and no new general election until September. Lawmakers did not expect any opposition to the proposal, a necessity if it is to rush through both chambers of the General Assembly before the session ends Monday.
