Neither Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock nor Republican challenger Herschel Walker crossed the 50 percent threshold needed to win the race Tuesday afternoon, CNN reports, forcing a runoff election on Dec. 6. But what exactly does this mean? And how will the second round of elections work? Here’s what you need to know: What is runoff and how does it work? A runoff is an additional election used to determine the winner of a particular race when none of the candidates wins the required margin of victory – in this case, 50%. In Georgia, runoffs are simpler than general elections, as the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of whether they reach 50% or not. Georgia’s top elections official, Brad Raffensperger, said counties are already preparing for the Dec. 6 election, and voters can request absentee ballots from Wednesday through Nov. 28 through the state’s online portal. Early voting must begin by Nov. 28 in all counties, but Raffensperger said his office expects some counties could have early voting on Saturday, Nov. 26 or Sunday, Nov. 27. “We’re working with the counties to find out what their plans are on that front,” he said. Notably, the logistics of the 2022 runoff will be different than in years past. Georgia’s 2021 law that reduced the length of runoff elections from nine weeks to four means the deadline for a new voter to register for runoffs has already passed. What is at stake? Simply put, a lot. Depending on the outcome of the Senate races in Arizona and Nevada, voters in Georgia could then – for the second straight election cycle – hold a Senate majority. Top officials from both the Democratic and Republican parties told CNN they plan to double down on their significant investments in Georgia, with speculation growing that control of the Senate could hinge on the outcome of the runoff.
