Governor Pat Quinn has signed a bill allowing a 2016 special election to replace late Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka.
Topinka died last month after winning a second term. There's been disagreement about succession plans.
Republican Governor-elect Bruce Rauner says his appointee should stay in office for four years. He plans to name Republican businesswoman Leslie Munger.
But lawmakers in the Democrat-controlled House and Senate approved the special election plan Thursday, which cuts Munger's term to two years. Munger has said she'll run in 2016.
The new law requires a special election any time a vacancy occurs in the offices of attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller or treasurer. The bill requires a period of at least 28 months before the next election.
