The Prince George’s County Council has approved an expedited schedule for the special elections to replace former Council Member Jamel “Mel” Franklin, who was charged last week with multiple counts in what authorities said was a campaign theft scheme.
Under the schedule approved in a special meeting of the council Tuesday, would-be candidates will have until July 5 to file a certificate of candidacy with the Board of Elections to run in the special primary election that was set for Aug. 6. The winners of the primaries will face off in a general election to fill Franklin’s seat that will be held on Nov. 5, the same day as the presidential election.
The winner of the Aug. 6 Democratic primary is likely to win Franklin’s seat. Prince George’s County, a majority Black jurisdiction, is overwhelmingly Democratic, and the council has been an all-Democratic body for at least two decades.
Before he resigned on June 14, Franklin held an at-large seat, representing the entire county. Calvin Hawkins is the other at-large council member. There are two years left in Franklin’s current term.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by William Ford over at Maryland Matters
