Legislators in Massachusetts debated a proposal yesterday to allow Democratic governor Deval Patrick to name a temporary replacement for Edward Kennedy’s Senate seat until a special election can be held.

Democratic leaders around the country love the idea; they’re going to need an extra vote when the Congress resumes negotiations on health care reform later this fall. Others see the proposal for what it is: a shameful power-grab.

Massachusetts law originally allowed the governor to replace Senate vacancies. But in 2004, Democratic legislators changed the practice to require a special election. They worried that if John Kerry were to be elected president, Republican governor Mitt Romney would get to name his replacement.

The move by Massachusetts Democrats to re-write election law every time it suits them is an embarrassment in a country in which elections are meant to be fair and non-partisan. The majority party cannot just rig the rules to extend its power. Voters around the country should pay close attention to what happens next. At stake is nothing less than our democracy’s most fundamental freedom.