Legal Definitions - runoff election

A runoff election is an election held after a general election, in which the two candidates who received the most votes, but neither received a majority, run against each other so that the winner can be determined.

• In a mayoral election, Candidate A received 45% of the votes, Candidate B received 40%, and Candidate C received 15%. Since no candidate received a majority, a runoff election was held between Candidate A and Candidate B to determine the winner.
• In a school board election, there were five candidates running for one seat. Candidate A received 35% of the votes, Candidate B received 30%, Candidate C received 20%, Candidate D received 10%, and Candidate E received 5%. Since no candidate received a majority, a runoff election was held between Candidate A and Candidate B to determine the winner.

These examples illustrate how a runoff election is used to determine a winner when no candidate receives a majority of the votes in a general election. It ensures that the winning candidate has the support of the majority of voters.