Could the high costs of this compressed summer runoff push South Carolina toward a radically different voting system?

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Yes. The unusual expense and voter fatigue created by South Carolina’s compressed summer runoff schedule could intensify pressure for election-system changes, with ranked choice voting emerging as the most discussed alternative. This year’s special Republican Senate race is South Carolina Republicans’ fourth statewide primary-related vote in 11 weeks, including two runoffs. Election officials and county administrators have described the schedule as financially disruptive. State estimates for the special Senate primary process have ranged from more than $2 million to as much as $6 million if a runoff is included, while one county alone, Lexington, projected about $250,000 in local costs. Those figures have given reform advocates a clear argument: a second election is expensive, hard to organize and often draws fewer voters. That is why ranked choice voting is getting renewed attention. It would allow voters to rank candidates once, with an instant runoff conducted in the count if no one wins an initial majority. Supporters argue that this preserves the state’s preference for majority winners while avoiding a separate low-turnout runoff. South Carolina already uses a version of ranked ballots for military and overseas voters in runoff situations, showing the concept is not entirely foreign to the state. Still, a shift is far from imminent. South Carolina law currently requires majority winners and traditional runoff elections, so any broader change would require legislative ac…

Darline Graham, Ralph Norman Advance to Aug. 25 Senate Runoff as Trump’s Clout Faces Test

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Darline Graham, Ralph Norman Advance to Aug. 25 Senate Runoff as Trump’s Clout Faces Test

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