This bill amends Arkansas law to establish a runoff election process for candidates running for the Senate and the House of Representatives. Specifically, if there are more than two candidates for these offices in a general election and no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the two candidates with the highest vote counts will advance to a special runoff election held four weeks later. The bill also stipulates that if the runoff results in a tie, the winner will be determined by lot in a public meeting attended by the candidates.

Additionally, the bill updates the language regarding the certification of votes for various offices, including the addition of the Commissioner of State Lands to the list of constitutional officers whose votes are published after elections. It clarifies that the runoff election provisions do not apply to several high-ranking offices, including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General, among others. The amendments aim to streamline the election process and ensure that legislative candidates are elected with a clear majority.

Statutes affected:
Old version HB1078 Original - 1-7-2025 03:43 PM: 7-5-704, 7-5-705(a)
Old version HB1078 V2 - 1-23-2025 09:26 AM: 7-5-704, 01-23-2025, 7-5-705(a)
HB 1078: 7-5-704, 7-5-705(a)