Pass the District of Columbia Special Elections Home Rule Act to give D.C. complete authority to set the dates of special elections for local offices.

Eleanor Holmes Norton · District of Columbia · Democratic

policy impact 0.55 specificity 0.90 extraction confidence 93%

Commitment kind: unknown. Promised action: not established. Promised outcome: not established. Deadline: unknown; not assumed expired.

Occurrences

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the District of Columbia Special Elections Home Rule Act, which would give the District complete authority to set the date of special elections for local offices, as other jurisdictions already have.

Norton introduced legislation that would give D.C. full authority over scheduling special elections for local offices.

Norton Introduces Bill to Give D.C. Authority Over Dates of Special Elections for Local Offices | Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
secondary · other · model gpt-5.5

Evidence

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

Congress.gov lists Norton as sponsor, introduced 02/06/2012, and the latest action as becoming Public Law 112-145 on 07/18/2012.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Norton sponsored H.R.3902, and Congress.gov records that it passed the House and Senate and became law.

delivered unknown A for effort

H.R.3902 - District of Columbia Special Election Reform Act, 112th Congress
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 96%

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

The enacted law amended the D.C. Home Rule Act to revise special-election timing for local office vacancies.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Public Law 112-145 gave the D.C. Board of Elections authority to set special election dates within a 70-to-174-day window, considering holidays, administration, and voter participation.

delivered unknown A for effort

Public Law 112-145 - District of Columbia Special Election Reform Act
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 94%

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

The Senate report says H.R.3902 enabled the D.C. Board of Elections to schedule special elections for Council, Mayor, and Attorney General vacancies.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): The report explains the policy purpose and confirms Norton introduced H.R.3902 after a similar 2010 Norton bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate.

delivered unknown A for effort

S. Rept. 112-186 - District of Columbia Special Election Reform Act
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 95%

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

Current D.C. Code reflects the amended rule for Council vacancies: the Board sets the Tuesday between 70 and 174 days after the vacancy.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): The D.C. Code codifies the special-election timing authority created by Public Law 112-145 for Council vacancies, showing the reform took legal effect.

delivered unknown A for effort

D.C. Code § 1-204.01 - Creation and membership
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 91%

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

Congress.gov lists Norton as sponsor, shows H.R.6339 was introduced on 2025-12-01, referred to House Oversight and Government Reform, and has status Introduced rather than passed or enacted.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): The current bill matching the claim has not passed; official action shows it remains introduced/referred in committee, so the complete-authority promise is still unresolved despite concrete sponsorship by Norton.

unresolved same_term A for effort

H.R.6339 - District of Columbia Special Elections Home Rule Act, 119th Congress
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 96%

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

Norton introduced the bill to give D.C. complete authority over special-election dates and stated that the 2012 law gave more flexibility but did not include complete home-rule authority.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): The Congressional Record clarifies that the earlier 2012 enactment was only partial for this specific claim; Norton sought the broader complete-authority policy again in 2025, but introduction alone is not delivery.

unresolved same_term A for effort

Congressional Record: Introduction of the District of Columbia Special Elections Home Rule Act
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 94%

Assessments

Public state: unverified As of unknown · legacy_unverified · . Original AI recommendation (not independently established): unresolved. same_term A for effort

Norton has materially advanced the promised policy by sponsoring H.R.6339, the District of Columbia Special Elections Home Rule Act, in the 119th Congress. However, the bill remains at the introduced/referred-to-committee stage and has not passed or become law. The 2012 Norton-sponsored law did reform D.C. special-election timing, but it only gave the Board authority within a statutory window rather than complete authority to set dates, so it does not fully satisfy this specific promise.

provider codex_cli · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 96%

Public state: unverified As of unknown · legacy_unverified · . Original AI recommendation (not independently established): delivered. same_term

Norton sponsored H.R.3902 in the 112th Congress, and it became Public Law 112-145 on July 18, 2012 while she was serving as D.C.'s federal delegate. The enacted law amended the D.C. Home Rule Act to let the D.C. Board of Elections set special-election dates for local vacancies within the statutory window, substantially fulfilling the promised policy outcome.

provider codex_cli · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 95%