TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING RUNOFF ELECTIONS FOR COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL OFFICERS.

Senate Bill 608 amends the laws governing runoff elections for county and municipal officers in Arkansas. For municipal offices, the bill requires a runoff if no candidate receives a majority of votes, or if a candidate with a plurality of 40% or more does not also hold at least a 20% lead over the second-place candidate. If required, the runoff election between the top two candidates occurs four weeks after the general election. This legislation directly affects candidates running for these offices and the voters in those jurisdictions. It also updates the process for declaring a winner if a leading candidate withdraws before the election results are certified.