Racism And Runoffs
The election for Mayor of Atlanta now moves into the, almost inevitable, runoff. If a candidate does not get fifty percent plus one vote, a runoff is required. Runoffs are very popular in the South, and almost non existent in the rest of the United States.
Runoffs have been controversial. Some say they hurt minorities. Julian Bond is quoted as saying “The runoff actually discriminates against the numerical minority, black or white, in elections in which there is racial polarization.”
There is a feeling that the Voting Rights Act would forbid the use of runoffs. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Georgia in 1990 on those grounds. Runoffs are still used in Georgia.
Chamblee54 
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