Turnout for Georgia’s primary runoffs dropped as much as 78%. Ranked choice voting is the solution.
On Tuesday, Georgia held 11 delayed primary runoffs for state legislative and federal offices, less than 30 days after the initial primary on May 21. As of June 20, turnout dropped in every single runoff – as much as 78% in the State Senate District 38 Democratic primary, and a median of 42% in the state’s three congressional runoffs.
Georgians could avoid the cost, toxicity, and unrepresentative results associated with runoffs if the Peach State used ranked choice voting (RCV) in its primaries. RCV offers an “instant runoff” on primary day, ensuring party nominees are supported by a majority of primary voters without the need to hold separate votes.
If the objective of runoffs is to ensure winners are supported by the majority of voters, Tuesday’s primary runoffs failed badly. In a majority of the contests, the runoff winner got fewer votes than they earned in the first round – completely defeating the election’s purpose.
2nd Congressional District GOP runoff
Wayne Johnson faced off against Chuck Hand after both advanced from the initial primary with 44% and 36%, respectively. Unsurprising for an extended, one-on-one race, the tone of the campaign degraded considerably.
Third-place finisher Michael Nixon held a news conference after his loss to endorse Johnson and highlight criminal charges against Hand from 2005 and 2010. In response, Hand walked out of a televised debate with Johnson, accusing him of orchestrating the attack with Nixon.
Controversy and media firestorms didn’t vote, though. Approximately 20,000 fewer votes were cast in the 2nd District runoff than on Primary Day. In fact, Johnson won the Tuesday runoff with roughly 6,300 fewer votes than he received in the first round.
3rd Congressional District GOP runoff
The GOP primary in Georgia’s 3rd District was also closely watched. Former Trump administration official Brian Jack and former State Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan faced off to replace retiring Republican Rep. Drew Ferguson.
Jack nearly clinched the nomination outright in May, with 47% of the vote. After one more month of campaigning, Jack won with 62% in the runoff – but received 3,200 fewer votes than he did in the first round.
14th Congressional District Democratic runoff
Small business owner Clarence Blalock and retired Army General Shawn Harris faced off in Georgia’s 14th District for the right to challenge Marjorie Taylor Greene in November.
Blalock and Harris came out of the initial primary neck-and-neck, with roughly 38% of the vote each. In the end, Harris came out on top in the runoff, but democratic participation was the clear loser – compared to the May primary, 7,600 fewer voters turned out.
Georgia needs ranked choice voting
With RCV, voters can indicate their backup choice(s), ensuring their vote counts for a finalist candidate without having to return to the polls. Elections are decided when turnout is naturally the highest – on primary or election day. The state doesn’t have to fund another election, and candidates don’t have to fund prolonged campaigns. In fact, research shows that the 2020 Georgia runoffs cost a whopping $75 million – and campaigns spent another $485 million during that time.
Moreover, RCV promotes civility and party unity in primary campaigns. In competitive districts, this makes for stronger candidates. In districts safe for one party, nominees are selected on primary day, when turnout is highest.
Dozens of jurisdictions have already used RCV instead to replace runoff elections. In fact, like many of its southern neighbors, Georgia uses RCV ballots for military and overseas voters so they can participate in runoffs without having to receive and return a second ballot.
The turnout dropoff in this year’s primary runoffs is nothing new; we’ve seen it in nearly every single Georgia primary runoff dating back to 1992 (and in Georgia’s general election and municipal runoffs, too).
Nationwide, voter participation has declined by an average of 40% in runoff elections dating back to 1992, meaning four out of ten voters who cast a ballot in the first round don’t return for the runoff – and therefore don’t have a say in the final outcome. By contrast, only 6% of ballots in ranked choice elections become “inactive” or “exhausted” – reflecting voters who do not rank a finalist candidate. Similarly, the winner of an RCV contest never gets fewer votes as a result of the RCV count; that happens with a majority of primary runoffs. Ranked choice voting ensures far more voters cast a meaningful ballot than in runoffs.
Georgia legislators have the opportunity to implement a faster, cheaper, better alternative to runoffs that has empowered voters across the country. At the least, Georgia could empower cities and counties to pilot RCV, as Utah has done successfully.
To support ranked choice voting in Georgia, check out Better Ballot Georgia today!
