Another prolonged and contentious election year in Georgia has legislators considering whether to kill off runoffs once and for all.
Georgia’s unusual system of requiring a runoff whenever candidates fall short of a majority could be changed by the Republican-run General Assembly during this year’s legislative session after a third straight runoff win by Democrats last month, when U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock defeated Republican Herschel Walker.
No other state requires runoffs after both primary and general elections, and only two other states — Louisiana and Mississippi — call for runoffs after general elections. Most states declare winners who achieve a mere plurality that’s less than 50% of the vote in a multicandidate race.
