NE Atlanta News

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) has recently called on the state's General Assembly to eliminate General Election Runoffs, amidst predictions of a contentious election cycle. He emphasized the need to give Georgia voters and their families a break from the intense political environment in a press release.

Capitol Beat reported that last December, Raffensperger expressed concerns about runoff elections following Senator Raphael Warnock's victory over Herschel Walker. However, the issue did not advance during this year's legislative session. Despite instances where runners-up reversed their positions in runoffs, Warnock's successive wins have sparked debates against the necessity of general election runoffs, presenting them as an avoidable expense. Since 1968, Georgia lawmakers have adjusted the vote threshold for general election candidates. This change was initially triggered by a constitutional amendment requiring runoff elections for governor if no majority was achieved. After Senator Wyche Fowler's defeat in a 1992 runoff, the then Democratic-led Assembly reduced the required vote share to 45%. Raffensperger argues that this benefited Democrats like Max Cleland, who won in 1996 with more than 45% but less than 50% of the vote.

In a press release from his office, Raffensperger said: "Georgia is one of the few remaining states using the General Election Runoff model. Next year, there will be a contentious presidential election – and families across Georgia will be settling down for the holidays shortly after – let’s give them a break and take another costly and unnecessary election off the thanksgiving table. I’m calling on the General Assembly to visit this topic next session and eliminate this outdated distraction. Our county election offices will already be securing the 2024 presidential election with audits and certifying those results. Let’s not burden them with another election."

The same press release also highlighted that Georgia's 2022 midterms saw significant voter turnout and increased accessibility for voters across the state. Some counties offered up to 19 days of Early Voting during the General Election, enabling Georgia voters to cast their ballots early or by mail without needing an excuse. Raffensperger's office noted that Georgia is recognized for its efforts in providing secure, accessible elections, having implemented automatic voter registration, at least 17 days of early voting, and no-excuse absentee voting—factors contributing to increased turnout in recent midterm and general elections. In 2022, Georgia recorded its largest single day of in-person early voting turnout in midterm history, using a secure, paper ballot voting system. The state received praise for election integrity from the Heritage Foundation, recognition for voter accessibility from the Center for Election Innovation & Research, and high rankings in election administration according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

According to Capitol Beat, only Georgia and Louisiana hold general election runoffs, with a few other primarily Southern states limiting runoffs to primaries when no candidate secures a majority vote.