Publication Date
2020
Abstract
Georgia requires candidates to earn a majority of
votes in their party’s primary to win elected office. The
majority-vote requirement—passed by the General
Assembly in 1964—is stained by racially-fraught
politics of the era, and even its alleged “good
government” goals are now antiquated. This Note
explores the history of Georgia’s majority-vote
requirement, examines two legal challenges to the law,
and analyzes its flaws and virtues. Finally, this Note
demonstrates that more appealing alternatives to the
majority-vote requirement exist and recommends that
Georgia replace its current runoff election system with
either ranked choice voting or a forty-percent
threshold-vote requirement.
Recommended Citation
Goldberg, Graham P.
(2020)
"Georgia’s Runoff Election System Has Run Its Course,"
Georgia Law Review: Vol. 54:
No.
3, Article 8.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/glr/vol54/iss3/8