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DEL.ICIO.USThe reason behind Tuesday’s runoff
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On Tuesday, it’s highly likely that only a fraction of Georgia voters will trek yet again to the polls. They will refine, and perhaps override, decisions made by a robust majority on Nov. 4.
This strikes some as unfair. “Georgia is a total aberration,” Wyche Fowler, 68, said the other day. “I think it’s unconstitutional. But whether it’s unconstitutional or not, it’s extremely unwise.”
Sixteen years ago, Fowler was a first-term U.S. senator up for re-election — a Democrat facing a Republican challenger, Paul Coverdell. The Libertarian in the race gathered a few crucial votes, and Fowler found himself with only 49.23 percent of 2.25 million ballots cast.
Georgia is the only state that requires the winner of a general election contest to win by 50 percent — plus one vote. Three weeks later, the 635,114 votes that Coverdell earned in a pre-Thanksgiving runoff overruled the 1.1 million votes that Fowler received in the general election.
“That’s disenfranchisement,” Fowler said.
Regardless, Fowler was ousted. Democrats in control of the Legislature changed the state’s 50-percent-plus-one law so that the winner needed to win only a plurality — so long as that plurality exceeded 45 percent.
Shortly after Republicans took over the state Capitol, they restored the 50-percent-plus-one provision, on the theory that any act perpetrated by Democrats was designed to short-change the GOP.
And indeed, this act probably was. White and older voters, who tend to vote Republican, are more likely to show up for a runoff than African-American voters, who tend toward the Democratic ticket.
But tinkering with election laws always seems to backfire.
Four weeks ago, thanks again to a Libertarian candidate in the race, Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss won only 49.8 percent of 3.7 million cast in the U.S. Senate race. Democrat Jim Martin came in second with 46.8 percent.
It was deja vu all over again.
And you won an extra month’s worth of venom spewed through your TV set.
The 50-percent-plus-one trap also snared one of two contests for seats on the Public Service Commission. Democrat Jim Powell came away with a leading 47.9 percent of the vote on the first Tuesday of November. He faces Republican Lauren McDonald in tomorrow’s runoff.
How many voters will show up Tuesday to render final judgments? In 1992, 39 percent of registered voters returned for the U.S. Senate runoff. But in 1998, 2004, and 2006, turnout for statewide runoffs averaged 4 percent.
Local governments, which shoulder most of the cost of runoff elections, are likely to ask the Legislature to take a look at repealing the 50-percent-plus-one provision come January. “In a time of financial stress, these elections are very expensive,” said Jerry Griffin, executive director of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia.
Don’t look for anything to happen quickly. State Rep. Austin Scott (R-Tifton) is chairman of the House committee that screens changes to state election law.
He acknowledges a certain mathematical strangeness to runoffs. “There is the question of should 51 percent of 10 percent of the voters trump 49 percent of five times that number,” Scott said.
But with an Obama Administration soon to be in charge of the U.S. Justice Department, and Georgia subject to its oversight on voter issues, the Legislature is likely to move cautiously on changes to election law, Scott said.
The House chairman said he would look at the 50-percent rule — if asked. But he’s more amenable to shortening the 45-day early voting period, off-setting any reduction in that window by allowing counties to open more than one polling station. That’s more likely to result in a financial savings for counties, Scott said.
Victories by Republicans in the U.S. Senate and PSC runoffs on Tuesday are also likely to restore any lost GOP confidence in the state’s 50-percent-plus-one law.
That might be bad news for you and your TV set. But if you’re a Libertarian with ambition, it means you can make a difference in Georgia politics for some time to come.
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Comments
By Doug Craig
November 30, 2008 5:00 PM | Link to this
Also if Georgia had fair ballot access for all parties in Georgia we would run our candidates(Libertarian) for state house or state senate but Georgia’s two big parties., but we are not allow to run for local office because the democrat and the GOP have blocked third parties in Georgia from running with the same requirement that they have. Do you ever wonder why we the Libertarian party do not run for the smaller elections? It is because the Liberty hating democrats and republican have blocked us from running and you from choosing something other than them. If the believe in freedom they would open up the ballot box for everyone. Doug Craig Political Directot Libertarian party of Georgia www.crazyforliberty.com
By Eric Dondero
November 30, 2008 5:07 PM | Link to this
Sarah Palin is one of the leading elected libertarians in the Nation, along with AZ Cong. Jeff Flake, SC Gov. Mark Sanford, and Idaho Gov. Butch Otter. She even had the enthusiastic backing of the Libertarian Party of Alaska for her 2006 Governor’s race.
Having one of the leading elected libertarians in the Nation come to Georgia to back Chambliss at the last minute, will no doubt go a long ways towards helping him secure the Senate seat.
Good for Sarah Palin.
By Eric Dondero
November 30, 2008 5:09 PM | Link to this
Sarah Palin is one of the leading elected libertarians in the Nation, along with AZ Cong. Jeff Flake, SC Gov. Mark Sanford, and Idaho Gov. Butch Otter. She even had the enthusiastic backing of the Libertarian Party of Alaska for her 2006 Governor’s race.
Having one of the leading elected libertarians in the Nation come to Georgia to back Chambliss at the last minute, will no doubt go a long ways towards helping him secure the Senate seat.
Good for Sarah Palin.
Eric - 2008 Bob Barr Petitioner & Supporter
By Richard Winger
November 30, 2008 7:15 PM | Link to this
Why doesn’t Georgia implement Instant-Runoff voting?
By Rightminded
November 30, 2008 8:27 PM | Link to this
I hear that Ludacris was in your state giving his support to Democrat challenger Jim Martin. Does anyone know who Ludacrisi is? Ludacris is one of the most VILE, FILTHY, PAGAN, rappers in the country! Just an other addition to a string of very LEFT-WING, GODLESS, individuals or groups like MOVEON.ORG, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and two national gay political groups — the Human Rights Campaign and the Stonewall Democrats - who would love to have gay marriage and the so called “hate crime laws” in your state.
By jacksmith
November 30, 2008 11:11 PM | Link to this
WE HAVE MORE TO DO:
Democrat Jim Martin is in a runoff against Bush Republican Saxby Chambliss for the Senate seat from Georgia. Bush’s Saxby Chambliss voted against spending a few measly dollars to provide health care coverage for Georgia, and Americas needy children. But he supported wasting hundreds of billions of your dollars, and the life BLOOD of Americas finest on an unnecessary war in Iraq.
At a time when 47 million of you have no health insurance coverage, and over 100 million of you with insurance are just one major illness away from complete financial destruction. Bush and Saxby Chambliss voted to make the heart break of bankruptcy relief even harder for all of you to use.
You see, Bush and Saxby Chambliss, and his family don’t have to worry about their health care coverage. They have the finest health care coverage your tax money can buy for them. Courtesy of you. The American Tax payer. In fact, no one but the super rich can afford the health care coverage you the tax payer provide for Saxby Chambliss, and his family for FREE! with your tax dollars.
He supposedly works for you. But he doesn’t think you and your family should have access to the type of taxpayer supported FREE health care that you provide for him, and his loved ones for FREE!. Doesn’t that just make you BURRING MAD!
Vote for JIM MARTIN for US senator from Georgia. Vote for JIM Martin who will be on your side. Vote for JIM MARTIN who will work with President Obama and a majority congress for you. Vote for JIM MARTIN most of all for your-self, your family’s, friends, and loved ones. Vote for JIM MARTIN for a better America, and a better World.
Don’t let Saxby Chambliss make a chump out of you by tricking you into voting against your own best interest. Saxby chambliss is NOT! on your side. He’s not one of you. He is on George Bush’s side. And we all know what a catastrophe the Bush Chambliss administration has been the past 8 years.
Contact all your family and friends and do every thing you can to see to it that JIM MARTIN and GEORGIANS! take that senate seat back for Georgia, and America. No matter where you live in America. This is important to you. President Obama will need all the help, and power you can give him to try and fix this catastrophic mess that the Corrupt Bush Chambliss administration has created.
As I said before you will have to vote in overwhelming numbers to overcome the Bush Chambliss “Let Them Eat Cake” vote fraud machine. Vote early if you can. Then help everyone you can get to the polls and vote for JIM MARTIN. You and your loved ones don’t have to be Saxby Chambliss’s victims anymore.
I know you will get it done. Just like you did for President Obama.
God bless all of you
jacksmith - WORKING CLASS… :-)
By Copyleft
December 1, 2008 8:19 AM | Link to this
“Rightminded”—Pagan AND Godless? You seem very confused….
By It Goes Both Ways
December 1, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this
You know who Sarah Palin is she is one of the most IGNORANT, VILE, FILTHY, LIAR, politician in the country! Just another addition to a string of very RIGHT-WING, Seccessionist individuals who would make a woman who was RAPED have and pay for a baby with her own dollars. the Human Rights Campaign and the Stonewall Republican- who carry a bible in one hand and a gun and hate in another……
By dell
December 1, 2008 11:55 AM | Link to this
I don’t see for the life of me what it is about Sarah Palin that has people going crazy over her. You have to listen to what she is saying, which isn’t much. She is not smart about anything. I would hate to live in a country that votes for a president because they are cute. Please, I hope before 2012 that someone else enters the stage and pushes her off. There are too many issues that she knows nothing about. She is folksy and there is no place in the white house for an ordinary down home person with no knowledge whatsoever, of the economy, foriegn affairs, or world history. Please Sarah, “GO HOME.”
By Einsteins little Brother
December 3, 2008 1:06 AM | Link to this
The Best reason to vote for Chambliss is so that we don’t have a filibuster proof senate. If Obammer has 60 votes in the Senate, he can ram anything he pleases down our collective throats. Soooo…Whether you like Chambliss or not, his election back to Senate will serve as a safety valve in the event Obammer tries to do something even more crazy than what we’re all counting on.
Oh yeah, Georgia Tech Sucks! and did you know that Paul Johnson has never played a down of College Football?