Associated Press
— 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 percent threshold where a candidate would avoid a runoff if he or she received 35 percent of the vote.
Ball said Alabama is one of only a few states that still hold primary runoffs.
