Requiring that a primary runoff election be held in the event of an inconclusive primary election for certain offices, and including effective date and applicability provisions

Primary runoff elections are to be held four weeks after the primary election and are to be conducted and the results canvassed in the same manner as primary elections. Relating to primary runoff elections for county offices, the bill provides that when one nominee is required, the two candidates who received the highest number of votes cast for the nomination shall be the candidates in the primary runoff election. When two or more nominees are required and the necessary number of nominations were not made at the primary election, the number of candidates in the primary runoff election shall equal one more than the remaining necessary number of nominations, and the candidates shall be the remaining candidates who received the highest number of votes cast in the primary election but who did not receive at least 35 percent of the vote cast to be nominated in the primary election. The candidate or candidates who receive the highest number of votes cast by voters of the nominating party in the primary runoff election shall be the nominee or nominees of that party for that office in the general election. Relating to primary runoff elections for statewide office, congressional office, and members of the general assembly, the bill provides that the two candidates who received the highest number of votes cast in the primary election shall be the candidates in the primary runoff election. The candidate in the primary runoff election who receives the highest number of votes cast by voters of the nominating party shall be the nominee of that party for that office in the general election. The bill requires that if a person receives enough write-in votes at an inconclusive primary election to be placed on a primary runoff election ballot, the county commissioner of elections or the state commissioner of elections, as appropriate, shall immediately after the canvass of the primary election notify the person that the person is required to file an affidavit of candidacy if the person wishes to be a candidate for nomination to that office at the primary runoff election.3.2, subsection 3, which would relieve a political subdivision from complying with a state mandate if funding for the cost of the state mandate is not provided or specified. Therefore, political subdivisions are required to comply with any state mandate included in the bill.