What Is a Runoff Election? How They Work and Why They Matter

In most American elections, the candidate who receives the most votes wins — even if that total falls short of a majority. But in a handful of states, a plurality is not enough. When no candidate clears a required threshold, voters return to the polls for a runoff election: a second contest between the top finishers from the first round. Runoffs have decided some of the most consequential races in recent history, including the two Georgia Senate runoffs in January 2021 that determined control of the entire U.S. Senate.

What Is a Runoff Election?

A runoff election is a follow-up election held when no candidate in the initial contest wins by a sufficient margin — typically a majority (more than 50%) of the vote. The field is narrowed to the top two vote-getters, who then face off head-to-head in a second round.

The logic behind runoff systems is straightforward: they ensure that the eventual winner has the support of a majority of voters who participate, rather than winning with a mere plurality in a crowded field. If five candidates split the vote and the winner receives only 28%, a runoff gives voters a clearer binary choice.

How the Process Works

The typical runoff process follows these steps:

• Initial election: All qualified candidates appear on the ballot. Voters cast their ballots as usual.
• Threshold check: If one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, that candidate wins outright and no runoff is needed.
• Runoff triggered: If no candidate hits the majority threshold, the top two finishers advance to a runoff election.
• Runoff election: Held weeks or months later (the timing varies by state), the runoff is a head-to-head contest between the two remaining candidates.
• Winner declared: Whoever receives the most votes in the runoff wins the seat.

Which States Use Runoff Elections?

Runoff elections are predominantly a feature of Southern states, a legacy of the one-party Democratic political system that dominated the region through much of the 20th century. When the Democratic primary was effectively the only election that mattered, runoffs ensured that nominees had majority support within the party. Today, several states apply runoff rules to both primaries and general elections.

States with General Election Runoffs

• Georgia — Requires a majority in general elections for all federal and state offices. Georgia's runoff system has produced some of the highest-profile runoff races in American history. Runoffs are held four weeks after the general election.
• Louisiana — Uses a unique "jungle primary" system where all candidates, regardless of party, appear on the same ballot. If no one wins a majority, the top two face a runoff, even if both are from the same party. The general election effectively is the runoff.

States with Primary Election Runoffs

A larger group of states require majority winners in primary elections:

• Texas — Primary runoffs are held approximately four weeks after the initial primary. Texas has seen numerous high-profile primary runoffs, including the 2018 Republican primary runoff for governor.
• Alabama — Requires a majority in primary elections, with runoffs held four weeks later.
• Arkansas — Uses primary runoffs with a majority threshold.
• Mississippi — Requires a majority in party primaries; runoffs are held three weeks after the primary.
• North Carolina — Previously required runoffs if no primary candidate reached 30% (raised from the original threshold), though the state has modified its rules in recent years.
• Oklahoma — Requires a majority for nomination in primaries.
• South Carolina — Uses primary runoffs with a majority requirement.
• South Dakota — Requires a 35% threshold in primaries.

Notable Runoff Elections in Recent History

Runoff elections have produced some of the most dramatic and consequential moments in modern American politics.

Georgia Senate Runoffs, January 2021

The most consequential runoff elections in modern history took place on January 5, 2021, when both of Georgia's U.S. Senate seats went to runoffs simultaneously. In the regular election on November 3, 2020, neither Republican incumbent — David Perdue nor Kelly Loeffler — secured a majority against their Democratic challengers, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

The stakes were staggering: control of the U.S. Senate hung on both races. Republicans held 50 seats and needed to win just one of the two runoffs to maintain their majority. Democrats needed to sweep both to create a 50-50 Senate with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the tiebreaker.

Both Democrats won. Warnock defeated Loeffler by about 93,000 votes (51.0% to 49.0%), and Ossoff defeated Perdue by about 55,000 votes (50.6% to 49.4%). Combined spending across both races exceeded $800 million, making them the most expensive Senate contests in history. Turnout reached approximately 4.4 million voters — remarkably close to the 5 million who had voted in the November general election.

Georgia Senate Runoff, December 2022

Georgia produced another high-profile runoff in 2022 when incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock faced Republican challenger Herschel Walker. In the November general election, Warnock led with 49.4% to Walker's 48.5%, with Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver drawing enough votes to deny either candidate a majority. In the December 6 runoff, Warnock won decisively with 51.4% of the vote, though turnout dropped from about 4 million in November to roughly 3.5 million in the runoff.

Mississippi Special Election, 2018

Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith faced Democrat Mike Espy in a runoff after neither candidate won a majority in the November special election. Hyde-Smith won the runoff with 54.1% of the vote. The race drew national attention due to controversial comments made by Hyde-Smith during the campaign.

Texas Primary Runoffs

Texas regularly produces competitive primary runoffs due to its large, diverse electorate and frequent multi-candidate primaries. In the 2024 cycle, several U.S. House primary races went to runoffs, forcing candidates to sustain campaign operations — and fundraising — through an extended primary season.

Arguments For and Against Runoff Elections

Arguments in Favor

• Majority mandate: Winners can claim the support of more than half the voters who participated, lending greater legitimacy to their election.
• Prevents plurality winners: Without a runoff, a candidate could win with 25% or 30% of the vote in a crowded field, even though 70% or more of voters preferred someone else.
• Voter clarity: The head-to-head format gives voters a clear, simplified choice.

Arguments Against

• Lower turnout: Runoff elections almost always see fewer voters than the initial election. This means the "majority" winner may actually represent fewer total voters than the plurality leader in the first round.
• Cost: Running a second election is expensive for state and local governments. Georgia estimated that each of its 2021 Senate runoffs cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.
• Voter fatigue: Asking voters to return to the polls weeks or months after an initial election can depress participation, particularly among lower-income and younger voters.
• Extended campaign season: Candidates must raise additional funds and campaign for weeks beyond the initial election, which can favor wealthier or better-funded candidates.
• Historical baggage: Runoff systems in the South were originally adopted in part to prevent Black candidates from winning pluralities in multi-candidate fields, a history that continues to shape debates about their fairness.

Ranked-Choice Voting: An Alternative to Traditional Runoffs

A growing number of states and cities have adopted ranked-choice voting (RCV) as an alternative to traditional runoff elections. Under RCV, voters rank candidates in order of preference on a single ballot. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the last-place candidate is eliminated and their voters' second choices are redistributed. This process repeats until one candidate has a majority.

Where Ranked-Choice Voting Is Used

• Alaska — Adopted a top-four primary with RCV general election system in 2020. Used it for the first time in 2022, including in a special U.S. House election won by Democrat Mary Peltola.
• Maine — The first state to use RCV for federal elections, beginning in 2018. Maine uses RCV for U.S. Senate and House races as well as gubernatorial primaries.
• New York City — Adopted RCV for local primary and special elections starting in 2021.
• More than 50 cities across the U.S. use some form of RCV for local elections, including San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Salt Lake City.

How RCV Compares to Traditional Runoffs

• Single trip to the polls: RCV achieves a majority result in one election, eliminating the need for voters to return weeks later.
• Higher effective turnout: Because the "runoff" happens instantly on the same ballot, there is no drop-off in participation between rounds.
• Lower cost: Jurisdictions avoid the expense of administering a second election.
• Complexity trade-off: Critics argue that ranking candidates is more confusing for voters than a simple binary runoff choice, and that ballot exhaustion (when a voter's ranked candidates are all eliminated) can still produce winners without a true majority of all ballots cast.

What to Watch in 2026

Runoff elections could play a significant role in the 2026 midterms. Georgia's general election runoff requirement means any close race for Senate or governor could extend weeks past November 3. Texas, Alabama, and other Southern states will likely see primary runoffs that shape which candidates appear on the general election ballot. Meanwhile, Alaska and Maine will continue using ranked-choice voting, providing ongoing data about how the alternative system performs.

If you live in a state that uses runoffs, it is especially important to plan for the possibility of voting twice — once in the initial election and once in the runoff. Runoff dates, registration rules, and early voting availability may differ from the general election.

Additional Resources

• Find Your Ballot — Check whether your state uses runoff elections and see what is on your ballot
• Poll Tracker — Follow close races that could trigger runoffs in 2026
• How to Register to Vote — Ensure your registration is current before both election rounds
• Georgia Elections Guide — Detailed information on Georgia's runoff system
• Texas Elections Guide — Information on Texas primary runoffs