2022 Runoffs Rundown
What is a runoff election?
A runoff election (also called second ballot) is a voting method used to elect a single candidate following an election. If no candidate receives the required majority of votes to win an election, a runoff is held a number of weeks later. The top two vote-getters from the general election face off to determine the winner. This way, one candidate is guaranteed to earn more than 50% of the vote. Runoffs can be held for both primary and general elections and runoff rules vary from state to state.
Which states use the runoff system?
Georgia and Louisiana both need runoff elections when no candidate wins a majority of the vote in a general election. In every other state, a candidate can take home the plurality (highest number) of the vote to win.
Ten states use primary runoff elections as part of the party nomination process:
Alabama
Arkansas
Georgia
Mississippi
North Carolina
Oklahoma
South Carolina
South Dakota - Only for congressional and gubernatorial elections
Texas
Vermont - Only for tie votes
2022 Statewide runoffs
December 6: Georgia general election runoff
December 10: Louisiana general election runoff
2022 Local runoffs covered by BallotReady
December 6:
Municipal runoff election in Miami Beach, FL
December 13:
Municipal election runoff in Austin, TX
Municipal election runoff in Corpus Christi, TX
Municipal election runoff in Doral, FL
December 17:
Municipal election runoff in El Paso, TX
Municipal election runoff in Laredo, TX
2022 Consolidated runoffs covered by BallotReady
December 6:
Arkansas consolidated runoffs throughout the state (various county-level, municipal, and school board seats)
History of runoffs
The runoff system was enacted in 1963 during the height of the civil rights movement and it’s not a coincidence that most of the states with a runoff election system are based in the South. For many legislators, runoffs were served as an additional roadblock for Black voters, allowing White voters to coalesce around a single candidate in a second voting round. In 1958, Segregationist Denmark Groover lost an election, and blamed his loss on Black voters. Shortly after he proposed the runoffs, believing it would allow White voters to rally around white candidates should a Black candidate get a plurality of the vote.
However, an article from Democracy Docket outlines a key point:
“While it’s clear that the existence of the primary runoff system throughout much of the former confederacy owes its origins to racism, that doesn’t mean that runoff elections themselves — or the similar voting systems used in California, Washington and Maine — are inherently racist. It’s the context of the South at the time — a region dominated by a single political party and characterized by racially polarized voting — that made primary runoffs a tool of white supremacy. Any seemingly neutral election practice can become problematic depending on the real-world circumstances in which it’s used.”
Georgia on our mind
If you’re registered to vote in Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, or Arkansas, you can vote in federal, state, and local runoff elections. Check your voter status.
Georgia is the only state in the country that uses a runoff system for both primary and general elections, and has now hosted back to back high-profile runoff elections with national implications. Due to its evenly divided electorate, candidates can fall short even a few thousand votes and still not achieve the >50% majority needed to win.
For example, in the 2022 midterms, Senator Raphael Warnock garnered 1,943,737 votes (49.4%) while Herschel Walker got 1,907,272 votes (48.5%). The remaining 81,278 votes went to third party candidate Chase Oliver (2.1%). In the upcoming runoff, only the top two candidates advance—ensuring that one will receive a majority vote.
Despite having to endure multiple do-over elections and changing rules, Georgia voters have turned out in historic numbers in back-to-back years. This speaks both to the resiliency and passion of these voters, but also to the importance of understanding what runoffs are, how high the stakes can be, and when and where to vote.