Debbie Halvorson chats with Senator Dick Durbin at a farmers’ market in Bloomington, Illinois, in 2010. (Flickr/Gemma Billings) Chicago—Most countries take special elections to fill vacant seats in their national legislative chambers far more seriously than does the United States. In Britain, in particular, off-the-clock “by-elections” are recognized as testing grounds not just for candidates and parties but for issues. They are thoroughly covered by the media and often treated as mini-referendums that can send powerful signals regarding hot-button policy ... Read More