New bill could eliminate Georgia runoff elections

Dems seek to replace runoffs with plurality system

The runoff system as we know it would come to an end under a new Democratic-sponsored bill.

Currently, runoffs in Georgia are required to be held if no candidate receives 50% of the vote. But under House Bill 419, that threshold would be lowered to 45% — essentially creating a plurality system.

It is the first bill filed this session that would overhaul the statewide runoff system. But its chances of passing are uncertain in the Republican-controlled General Assembly.

Georgia voters have been inundated with several runoff elections in recent years. The 2020 election saw both U.S. Senate contests extend to runoffs in January 2021 — both of which were ultimately won by Democrats. Following those elections, Republican state lawmakers halved the runoff period from nine weeks to four weeks.

Voters faced another Senate runoff election in 2022. But with just four-weeks to prepare, election workers found themselves in a race against the clock to make sure that everything ran smoothly. There also wasn’t as much time for early or absentee voting. Nevertheless, Democrats won this contest as well.

Democrats haven’t always been this successful in runoffs. Republicans won statewide runoffs as recently as 2018. But the sponsors of HB 419 say that voters are growing tired of the nonstop negative advertising and mail pieces during the holiday season. Some have also noted that runoffs can cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.

Even Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who himself was elected in a runoff election, said that it is time to do away with runoff elections.

“Georgia is one of the only states in the country with a general election runoff,” Raffensperger said in December. “We’re also one of the only states that always seems to have a runoff.” However, he did not endorse any alternative to the current system.

In addition to this plurality system, some lawmakers have expressed support for ranked-choice voting, when voters are asked to rank the candidates on the ballot in order of their preference. This system is already being used by military and overseas voters.

One Democrat proposed a bill that would extend runoffs to six weeks, which she says will ease the stress that voters and county election workers face under the current four-week turnaround.

But ultimately, the fate of runoff elections will be decided by Republican legislative leaders. And neither House Speaker Jon Burns nor Lt. Gov. Burt Jones have signaled any urgency to take up the issue.