How Georgia's controversial new voting law compares with other states

By Emily Hawley, Op-ed contributor Sunday, April 18, 2021

Runoff elections

Georgia received national attention during its runoff Senate elections in January, which resulted in the victory of two new Democratic senators who helped flip the majority in the upper chamber.

Two states, Georgia and Louisiana, require runoff elections in the general election when no candidate receives the majority vote, according to Ballotpedia.

The new legislation states that the lengthy nine-week runoff period between November and January in the 2020 election was “exhausting for candidates, donors and electors.”

“By adding ranked choice voting for military and overseas voters, the run-off period can be shortened to a more manageable period for all involved, easing the burden on election officials and on electors,” the Georgia bill reads.