Official 2016 Presidential General Election Question Text

Question 1
Constitutional Amendment
(Ch. 511 of the 2016 Legislative Session)
Appointments and Special Elections for Attorney General and Comptroller

Changes the way the Governor fills a vacancy of the Attorney General or the Comptroller and requires a special election for vacancies that occur on or before a certain date. Under current law, the Governor fills a vacancy by appointing an individual to serve for the remainder of the term. Under the amended law, if the vacating Attorney General or Comptroller was a member of a political party, the Governor must fill the vacancy from a list of three names provided by the political party of the vacating official, and if no names are provided by the political party within a set time period, then the Governor must select a successor from the political party of the vacating official. If the vacating Attorney General or Comptroller was not a member of a political party, then the amended law requires the Governor to appoint any qualified individual. The Governor must make the appointment within a set time period following the vacancy. The amended law requires a special election to replace the successor if the vacancy occurs early enough in the term to allow for candidates to participate in the regular elections held in the second year of the vacating official's term. (Amending Article V, Section 5 and Article VI, Section 1 the Maryland Constitution)