IDAHO FALLS, (Idaho) — East Idaho cities are no strangers to run-off elections, and there is a reason for that.
With the prospect of run-offs in our current local elections, Local News 8 spoke to Secretary of State Phil McGrane. He says out of just a handful of cities that require run-off elections, four are in the eastern part of the Gem State.
Not every city in Idaho requires a run-off for close elections, but it is up to each city to decide if a runoff should be part of its election process.
“The city has to actually adopt an ordinance saying they’re going to have a runoff. So the majority of cities do not have runoff provisions, but those cities that have elected to do it, they can elect to do it for mayor, and they can elect to do it for city council.”
Idaho Falls is one city that requires a run-off not only for mayoral, but also for close city council elections.
“The majority of cities in Idaho [are] whoever gets the most votes wins. There are less towns that have a runoff provision. The runoff is not the norm. It’s only in these few exceptions where a runoff will take place,” says Idaho’s Secretary of State, Phil McGrane.
Population can play a role in a city’s decision to have run-offs as part of its election protocol.
“The big cities are the ones that have the runoff provisions, which make sense to you because you’re going to get in the bigger population areas, you’re likely to get more candidates, more interest compared to some of the smaller communities. So this very much fits.”
As far as how the run-offs for close elections work, Secretary McGrane says, “So the top two candidates that finish tonight in any of these cities will advance to a runoff election where it’s head-to-head by the top two. That way, those people who voted for candidate three, four or five, however many candidates are, have a chance to recast the ballot for one of the other candidates.”
McGrane went on to add, “I will note there’s plenty of studies on runoffs in overwhelmingly the majority of the time, whoever the winner was on election night will typically be the runoff winner by a pretty healthy majority. But still, it gives voters that opportunity to cast their ballot and have a voice, where when you have a lot of different choices, you never know.
December 2nd will be the voting date for any run-offs in the state.
