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Ala. Lawmaker Wants to Eliminate Some Runoffs

repmikeball.com

A north Alabama lawmaker is suggesting possible legislation that he said would streamline the state's election process by eliminating some party primary runoffs.

Republican state Rep. Mike Ball of Madison told the Florence Times-Daily the primary runoffs are costly. He said sometimes in special elections the runoff could cause a district to go through most of a legislative session without representation.

Ball said he's researching the idea and hopes to file a bill by the end of March to discontinue most primary runoffs.

Ball said he's considering a 35 percent threshold where a candidate would avoid a runoff if he or she received 35 percent of the vote.

Ball said Alabama is one of only a few states that still hold primary runoffs.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

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