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Elections

This guide contains information about American and international governments and elections.

About This Page

This page is kept up as a source for historical and archival information. The 2022 Mid-Term Election is the next nationally meaningful election. 

What is a runoff election?

Runoff Elections

A runoff election is when no candidate gets the majority of the votes during the regular election*


2020 Georgia Runoff Election for the U.S. Senate

Why is the Georgia Senate Race Such a Big Deal?

There were 35 seats up for election in the US Senate in 2020. With Joe Biden as the projected winner of the presidential race, Democrats needed a net gain of three seats to win control. So far, Democrats have netted one seat. Georgia will hold two runoffs on January 5 that will decide if Democrats gain two more seats for a 50-50 split and would mean control of the Senate.** This is because in the event of a tie, the Vice-President votes to break the tie and it can be assumed that Vice-President Elect, Kamala Harris will typically side with the Democrats. Currently, the Republicans have control of the Senate. Should the Democrats win both Senate seats, they will control the legislative and executive branches of government. 

Current Balance of the U.S. Senate

A graph illustrating the current balance of power in the US Senate which is 48 Democrats and 50 Republicans.


*From the official Georgia government website.

**From CNN.com Election Results

2020 Runoff Election Dates

When Are the Georgia Runoff elections?

State and Local Races: December 1, 2020

Federal Races: January 5, 2021

Last Day To Register to Vote in Runoff Election: December 7, 2020

Early Voting For 2020 Voting: Starts December 14, 2020

2020 Georgia Runoff Election Candidates

2020 Georgia U.S Senate Candidates

Senate Seat 1

David Purdue (R) - Incumbent 

John Ossoff (D) - Winner

Senate Seat 2

Kelly Loeffler (R) - Incumbent

Raphael Warnock (D) - Winner