What is happening in Georgia?

The state of Georgia must hold runoff elections for both of its Senate seats. Those elections take place on January 5.

What is a runoff election?

When none of the candidates meets the threshold to win, a follow-up election winnows the field by pitting the top vote-getters against each other. In Georgia, state law requires that a candidate earn a majority of the vote to win. If no candidate breaks 50%, the two candidates who received the most votes face off again in a runoff.

Why does Georgia have two runoff elections?

Because the US Constitution divides the Senate into three classes and staggers the start of each class' 6-year term, the two Senators representing the same state typically would not run at the same time. Because he is at the end of his 6-year term, Senator David Perdue seeks re-election. That's the easy one to explain. Georgia's other race became necessary when Senator Johnny Isakson retired last year to focus on his health (he has Parkinson's disease). Governor Brian Kemp named Kelly Loeffler to fill Isakson's seat until the November election. Senator Loeffler's race amounts to asking voters if she can keep the job until the end of Isakson's term in 2022.

Why are these races so important?

Currently, the Senate election results show Republicans with 50 seats in the Senate and Democrats with 48.

• If a Republican candidate wins one or both of the Georgia seats, the GOP will continue as the majority party in the Senate.

• If the Democratic candidates win both Georgia seats, the Senate will split evenly: 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. The Vice President will provide the tie-breaking vote to determine which party has the majority.

• The majority party controls the Senate's agenda, determining its legislative priorities and its negotiating stance toward the House of Representatives and the President.