Georgia’s unique runoff system shaped by long, complicated history
Georgians sifting through piles of campaign mail mixed in with their holiday cards can blame the state’s unique runoff system, which has survived multiple legal and political challenges since it originated more than 100 years ago.
Georgia is one of 10 states, mainly in the deep South, that require a runoff if no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast in a primary election. But Georgia is alone in mandating runoffs in general elections, which is how the state is hosting two Senate contests on Jan. 5 that will determine which party controls the upper chamber.
There have been scattered calls over the years for Georgia to tweak, overhaul and even end runoffs as some have criticized their cost and turnaround time and other states have ditched their own. Race also has fueled the debate given the system’s roots in the Jim Crow era, and some have argued runoffs discriminate against Black candidates.
The process, however, has largely remained unchanged for six decades, and today’s state leaders have shown little appetite for altering it — at least for now.
