Senator Robert Byrd from West Virginia passed away on June 28, 2010. He was still a serving Senator in West Virginia. Which of the following is a valid next step for the senatorial seat that he left empty?

The Seventeenth Amendment provides that when a Senate seat becomes vacant, the state legislature may authorize the governor to appoint someone temporarily until an election fills the seat. The governor—not the President—can therefore install an interim senator, making choice B correct. The remaining senator cannot receive an extra vote, and the seat need not remain empty.

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