A number of Georgia primary races appeared Tuesday to be headed toward runoff elections, essentially extending the spring campaign season until those runoffs are held July 26.
If you think that's a long time, you're not alone. The long lead-in to runoffs started two years ago, after a federal judge ordered changes to Georgia's election calendar to allow more time for military residents and other Georgians living overseas to return their absentee ballots.
The decision came in response to a federal lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice, which took issue with the state’s practice of holding runoffs 21 days after an election.
Federal officials said that was not enough time for overseas residents to get their ballots and return them to be counted. The issue was rooted in the country’s Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986, which established a 45-day window for overseas voters to return their ballots.
As a result of argument, which the feds won, Georgia in 2014 held the earliest primary in state history on May 20.
The state, however, kept its practice of requiring a winning margin of 50 percent plus one vote vs. a candidate simply getting the most votes winner-take-all.
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