Sponsors (9)
The bill speeds restoration of House representation and creates federal and private enforcement mechanisms to ensure timely special elections, at the cost of increased state administrative burdens, potential litigation and complications for states with multi-step nomination systems.
State voters will have House vacancies filled faster because special elections must be held within 180 days, reducing prolonged periods without representation.
Taxpayers and state governments gain a federal enforcement backstop (DOJ authority) to compel timely special elections, improving uniformity and accountability across states.
State governments and national legislative leaders (e.g., Speaker or House Minority Leader) — and other aggrieved parties — can bring suits to compel timely elections, creating an additional enforcement channel beyond federal action.
State governments and taxpayers may incur higher administrative and logistical costs to hold special elections on an accelerated timetable, increasing state and local spending or diversion of resources.
State and local governments could face increased legal disputes and federal-state tension from DOJ enforcement or federal lawsuits against state chief executives, raising litigation costs and political conflict.
State governments and election officials in states that use multi-step nomination processes may face procedural complications because the exclusion of nominating-only elections could require extra ballots or altered procedures to comply.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Mandates special elections to fill House vacancies within 180 days (unless a general election occurs in that period) and creates federal and private enforcement options.
Introduced April 29, 2026 by Christian D. Menefee · Last progress April 29, 2026
Requires states to hold special elections to fill U.S. House vacancies within 180 days of the vacancy unless a regularly scheduled general election will occur within that 180-day period. It replaces the prior 49-day target and removes the prior Speaker-based ‘‘extraordinary circumstances’’ trigger. Adds enforcement tools: the Attorney General may sue a state chief executive to force compliance, and any person aggrieved (explicitly including the Speaker or House Minority Leader) may bring a private lawsuit seeking declaratory or injunctive relief. The bill also defines “special election” to exclude nominating-only contests.