Peach Tree Times

After a record-breaking number of early and absentee votes in the state's runoff Senate election this year, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is pushing legislation that would end the use of general election runoffs in the state.

According to a recent report by FOX 5 Atlanta, Raffensperger called for its removal in a statement last week, stating the runoff system is hard on the counties that have to handle deadlines, election audits and setting up a new election four weeks after the general. Likewise, he said individuals shouldn't have to deal with politics in the middle of their family holidays.

"Georgia is one of the only states in the country with a General Election Runoff," Raffensperger said, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. "We're also one of the only states that always seems to have a runoff. I’m calling on the General Assembly to visit the topic of the General Election Runoff and consider reforms."

Currently, under state law, if no candidate in the general election gets more than 50% of the vote in November, the race automatically goes to a runoff four weeks later just before the New Year between the top two vote-getters.

Georgia is one of just a few states in the country to still hold runoff elections, FOX 5 reports.

This comes as incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a record-breaking runoff election earlier this month after neither man passed the vote threshold needed in the General Election. At that time, Warnock finished just short of the 50% vote needed to secure the election, FOX 5 reports.