Multiple races in Coastal Georgia are headed to a runoff, including the Republican primary for U.S. Senate and the Democratic contest for the District 1 U.S. House seat.
Georgia requires a runoff in state and federal races when no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. Municipal ordinances vary about the runoff requirement. When a runoff is required, the top two vote getters square off. With crowded fields in many races up and down the coast, runoffs were inevitable this year.
The primary runoff is scheduled for June 16, with early voting from Monday, June 8 to Friday, June 12. The voter registration deadline for the runoff has already passed.
Those who voted in either party’s primary are restricted to that party’s runoff. You may not switch parties for the runoff. But if you are registered and did not vote in the primary election, you can still vote in the runoff. Similarly, if you pulled a nonpartisan ballot in the primary, you are eligible to participate in either party’s primary runoff.
Only 10 states conduct runoff elections as part of their party nomination process, though not all set 50% as their threshold. In North Carolina, it’s 30%; in South Dakota, it’s 35%.
State runoffs in Georgia could theoretically continue indefinitely. If a runoff election results in a tie, it triggers another runoff four weeks later.
“Since state law requires a majority to win an election, a tie would lead to a runoff,” wrote Blake Evans, Georgia Secretary of State elections director.
Other states decide a tied election more quickly and cheaply — with a coin toss or by drawing lots.
The rules also vary for local elections in Georgia, with local charters dictating how municipalities conduct their elections, said Secretary of State spokesman Robert Sinners.
This article appears in 2026 Elections: Candidate lists, news.
