Ala. lawmaker wants to eliminate some runoffs

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A north Alabama lawmaker is suggesting possible legislation that he said would streamline the state's election process by eliminating some party primary runoffs.

Republican state Rep. Mike Ball of Madison (http://bit.ly/WYffsd) told the Florence Times-Daily the primary runoffs are costly. He said sometimes in special elections the runoff could cause a district to go through most of a legislative session without representation.

Ball said he's researching the idea and hopes to file a bill by the end of March to discontinue most primary runoffs.

Ball said he's considering a 35% threshold where a candidate would avoid a runoff if he or she received 35% of the vote.

Ball said Alabama is 1 of only a few states that still hold primary runoffs.

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