This is an opinion piece written by a resident of GA HD 13. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Better Ballot Georgia.

Until recently, I was a longtime resident in Georgia’s 4th Congressional District. Then in 2023, Republican lawmakers in Georgia redrew the U.S. Congressional district map, carving up super-populous, super-diverse Gwinnett County into a 4th district to help preserve the GOP’s majority in Georgia’s congressional delegation. So now I’m in Georgia’s 13th and boy do I feel unlucky.

To be clear, I’ve never been the superstitious type, but I do feel like I’ve been to the polls a lot lately, juggling my civic responsibility on top of the rest of those of a parent and homeowner. First came Georgia’s partisan primary election on May 19th. Voters in the 13th chose Dr. Jasmine Clark as the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House seat in November.

Then, due to the passing of longtime Congressman for the 13th David Scott on April 22, a special election was held on July 28th to fill the seat for the remainder of Scott’s term in January 2027. Notably, Jasmine Clark, the Democratic nominee voters had already selected for November, wasn’t among the candidates seeking to fill the Scott vacancy.

Despite Marcye Scott—the late representative’s daughter—winning what might be considered a landslide in a general election (with 46.0% of the vote compared with Everton Blair’s 37.5% and the shares received by three other candidates), Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-501(a)(1)) requires a runoff because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote. So, we’ll head back to the polls on August 25th and then again in November to elect the permanent Representative.

If you’re keeping track, that’s four votes for one congressional seat in less than six months. Now let’s be clear: residents of the 13th deserve representation in Congress, even when such a short time remains in the term. So, the problem isn't that we're holding an election to replace Congressman Scott, but rather that Georgia’s election system can turn one vacancy into multiple trips to the polls—and every additional election creates another opportunity for voters to be left behind.

Wait, We Have to Vote Again?

I’m the kind of voter who knows there’s a runoff to vote in. I follow politics closely and pay attention to election dates. I have the flexibility, transportation, and resources to get myself to a polling place. But our election system shouldn’t be designed only for people like me.

For many voters, Election Day feels like the end of the process. You research the candidates—or at least do your best—make time around work, childcare, school, transportation, and everything else in your life, get to the polls, cast your ballot, and reasonably assume: I voted.

Except sometimes in Georgia, you didn’t finish voting. You must come back. That means another round of election notices. Another early-voting period. Another Election Day. Another trip to the polls. Another time arranging transportation or childcare. Another time figuring out how to fit voting around a work schedule. And first, of course, you must know the runoff is happening at all.

Every additional election asks voters to clear another hurdle. Some will. Some won’t.

Runoffs Aren’t Free, Either

Voters aren’t the only ones who have to do everything again.

Counties must administer another election. Poll workers must be recruited and paid. Voting equipment must be prepared. Early voting sites must operate. Ballots must be produced. Election officials must communicate yet another set of dates and deadlines to voters.

Campaigns and civic organizations also must mobilize all over again, trying to remind people: No, really. The election isn’t over. Please drop everything and go vote again.

There has to be a better way.

What If We Could Hold the Runoff Instantly?

Imagine if, instead of choosing one candidate, voters had ranked their choices. If no candidate received a majority, the last-place candidate would be eliminated, and those ballots would transfer to voters’ next choices. This process would continue until someone reached the required threshold—no second election necessary.

Same voters. Same election. Same trip to the polls.

Democracy Shouldn’t Be an Endurance Test

Voting should absolutely require thought and participation, but it shouldn’t require Olympic-level endurance.

A good election system should capture the preferences of as many eligible voters as possible. It should recognize that voters have jobs, children, transportation challenges, disabilities, caregiving responsibilities, and lives that do not revolve around election calendars.

I’m fortunate. I know about the runoff. I can get there. I will vote. But I keep thinking about the voter in the 13th who won’t be able to get back to the polls for work or logistical reasons. Or the one who participated in the special election and genuinely believes their job is done. Or the voter who remembers voting for Jasmine Clark in the primary and understandably wonders why they are now being asked to choose among an entirely different group of candidates for the very same congressional seat. And then, after all that, we’ll vote again in November.

The recent experience of Georgia’s 13th Congressional District has become a compelling lesson in why we should be talking about and working towards better ways to conduct our elections.

So, as it turns out, I’m not superstitious, and 13 is not an unlucky number. We just need a better ballot.