Georgia secretary of state calls for end of general election runoffs
"Why now?", Georgia legislators, voters discuss ending with runoff elections
Georgia just wrapped up one of the most expensive Senate races and runoffs in the country. Now legislators are considering doing away with the system people from both sides of the political spectrum have deemed "unnecessary".
ATLANTA - Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says that he wants the Georgia General Assembly to end the Peach State's use of general election runoffs.
In a statement released Wednesday, Raffensperger called on Georgia officials to get rid of the runoff process.
Under Georgia law, if no candidate in the general election gets more than 50% of the vote in November, the race goes to a runoff four weeks later between the top two vote-getters.
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State and federal runoffs used to happen on different days, but a measure passed last year combines those into a single date. Before this year, runoffs for federal general elections were held nine weeks later.
Residents wait in line to vote early outside a polling station on November 29, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
"Georgia is one of the only states in country with a General Election Runoff," Raffensperger said. "We're also one of the only states that always seems to have a runoff. I’m calling on the General Assembly to visit the topic of the General Election Runoff and consider reforms."
Raffensperger argued that the runoff system is difficult for counties to deal with the deadlines, election audits, and setting up a new election four weeks later.
Also, "no one wants to be dealing with politics in the middle of their family holiday," the secretary of state said.
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Raffensperger's comments come after three Senate runoffs in which Georgia Democrats defeated their Republican counterparts. In 2020, control of the U.S. Senate came down to the twin contests in Georgia, both of which were won by Democrats in runoffs that stretched into the next calendar year. In their 2021 runoff elections, Jon Ossoff and Warnock became the first Democrats to win a U.S. Senate election in Georgia since 2000. Earlier this month, Warnock defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker after neither man passed the vote threshold needed in the General election.
This year's turnout for the runoff election broke records with the highest number of early votes and absentee votes by mail cast. In total, over 3.5 million Georgians voted in the Senate race.
The Georgia General Assembly could decide to make changes to the election process when it reconvenes in January.