Photo by hey-helen

The Senate yesterday sent a bill to President Obama that would offer D.C. more flexibility in scheduling its special elections. Under the provisions of the bill, a special election can be scheduled between 70 and 174 days after a vacancy is announced; currently, a special election has to be held on the first Tuesday 114 days after a vacancy, unless there is a regularly scheduled election with 60 days that it can be added to.

The bill has been floating around for a number of years, but gained new urgency earlier this year after former Ward 5 councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. resigned. Due to existing law, a special election to replace Thomas couldn’t coincide with the April 3 primary, forcing D.C. to pay some $318,000 to have a stand-alone special election in Ward 5 on May 15. The bill passed the House in February.

Given the scandal swirling around Mayor Vince Gray, the timing of the bill couldn’t be better. With a general election scheduled for November 6, Gray can resign by mid-September and a special election to replace him can still make it for November.