What is the purpose of a runoff election?

A runoff election is an election held to decide the winner when no candidate wins the majority of the votes in the initial election. In Virginia, the purpose of a runoff election is to ensure that the elected candidate has the backing of a majority of voters. In Virginia, if no candidate reaches 50% of the vote in the initial election, then a runoff election will take place. This may happen when there are three or more candidates running for the same office. In a runoff election, the two candidates who received the most votes in the initial election will compete against each other for the majority of the votes. The candidate with the most votes in the runoff election will be declared the winner. The purpose of runoff elections is to make sure that the candidate who is elected has the backing of a majority of the voters, rather than just a plurality. This ensures that the elected official has the support of the majority and can make decisions with a mandate from the people. It also encourages candidates to reach out and earn the support of more voters in order to win an election. In Virginia, runoff elections are held if the initial elections result in a tie between two or more candidates, or if no candidate wins a majority of the vote. Runoff elections are a great way to ensure that the elected candidate reflects the will of the majority of voters in the state.

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