Legal Definitions - runoff election

A runoff election is a second election held when no candidate achieves the necessary threshold (often a majority of votes) in an initial election. It typically involves the two candidates who received the most votes in the first round, allowing voters to choose between the top contenders and ensuring the winner has a stronger mandate.

Here are some examples illustrating how a runoff election works:

• City Mayoral Race:

  Imagine a city holding an election for mayor. There are four candidates: Ms. Albright, Mr. Benson, Dr. Chen, and Mr. Davis. After the initial vote count, Ms. Albright receives 40% of the votes, Mr. Benson receives 35%, Dr. Chen receives 15%, and Mr. Davis receives 10%. The city's charter requires a candidate to win with more than 50% of the vote to be declared the mayor. Since neither Ms. Albright nor any other candidate reached this threshold, a runoff election is triggered. In this second election, only Ms. Albright and Mr. Benson (the top two vote-getters from the first round) will appear on the ballot, and voters will choose between them to determine the new mayor.

  This scenario demonstrates a runoff election because the initial vote failed to produce a majority winner, necessitating a second contest between the leading candidates to ensure the elected mayor has broad support.

• State Legislative Seat:

  In a particular state, the law dictates that a candidate for a state legislative seat must secure an absolute majority (more than 50%) of the votes cast to be declared the winner. In a general election for a specific district, three candidates compete: Mr. Evans, Ms. Foster, and Mr. Green. Mr. Evans receives 48% of the vote, Ms. Foster receives 35%, and Mr. Green receives 17%. Because Mr. Evans did not reach the 50% + 1 threshold, a runoff election is automatically triggered between Mr. Evans and Ms. Foster (the two highest vote-getters). Voters in the district will then cast their ballots again to select one of these two candidates.

  This example illustrates a runoff election being used to ensure the elected official has a clear mandate from a majority of voters, even when the leading candidate in the first round falls just short of that majority.

• Political Party Primary:

  A major political party is holding a primary election to select its nominee for a U.S. Senate seat. Five candidates are vying for the nomination. The party's rules state that a candidate must receive at least 50% of the primary votes to win the nomination outright. In the initial primary, Candidate Harris receives 45% of the vote, Candidate Jones receives 30%, Candidate Kim receives 15%, and the remaining candidates split 10%. Since no candidate achieved 50%, Candidate Harris and Candidate Jones, as the top two vote-getters, will face each other in a runoff primary election. The winner of this runoff will then represent the party in the general election against candidates from other parties.

  This scenario demonstrates how runoff elections can also be used within political parties to select their strongest candidate, ensuring the nominee has majority support from party members before facing the general electorate.