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After two consecutive runoffs, 2021 and 2022, Georgia is seeking to eliminate the system to simplify it. This was announced by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who has already made the request to the state legislature, given that “no one wants to be dealing with politics in the middle of their family holiday.”
Raffensperger revealed his intentions in a statement and wants to leave Lousiana as the only state to have a runoff in the general election.
This occurs when neither candidate gets more than half of the vote (50+1), so the top two choices advance to a head-to-head matchup. No one could explain it better than the voters of Georgia, who experienced this process in 2021 and 2022, with a common denominator in both elections, Raphael Warnock.
The Democrat defeated Kelly Loeffler to reach the Senate in 2021 and then Herschel Walker, where he won a full term in the upper chamber.
Georgia’s reasons for dropping out of the second round
In the aforementioned statement, the Secretary of State expressed that “Georgia is one of the only states in the country with a General Election Runoff,” and that “we’re also one of the only states that always seems to have a runoff.”
“I call on the General Assembly to visit the issue of the second round of general elections and consider reforms,” he added.
In addition, he mentioned the tranquility of Georgians on holidays as a decisive factor in pursuing the elimination of the second round. “No one wants to be dealing with politics in the middle of their family holiday. It’s even tougher on the counties who had a difficult time completing all of their deadlines, an election audit and executing a runoff in a four-week time period,” he said.
The Georgia legislature is very favorable to the GOP, which controls both the Senate and the state legislature. Therefore, if the local executive pursues reform, it would most predictably succeed without perspiring.
Raffensberger closed his message by noting that turnout in the 2022 midterm elections “shattered previous turnout records and achieved a high level of access for Georgia voters.”
Joaquín Núñez es licenciado en comunicación periodística por la Universidad Católica Argentina. Se especializa en el escenario internacional y en la política nacional norteamericana. Confeso hincha de Racing Club de Avellaneda. Contacto: [email protected] // Joaquín Núñez has a degree in journalistic communication from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He specializes in the international scene and national American politics. Confessed fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. Contact: [email protected]