It’s been over two weeks since election day and our news cycles continue to be dominated by declarations that the election is over and Joe Biden is “President-elect,” accusations that widespread voter fraud and corruption occurred, or quieter voices with positions which lie somewhere in-between. Unfortunately, while our collective attention remains focused on a past election, we are in danger of missing an upcoming election which has the potential to redefine American politics entirely.
Currently, control of the U.S. Senate hangs in the balance. After November 3rd, Democrats hold 48 seats and Republicans hold 50. Under a 1960s Georgia law, “candidates must receive a majority of the vote to win an election.” If neither candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, “the top two vote-getters then face off again in a runoff election to determine the winner.” Due to this law, neither of Georgia’s Senate races have been decided, meaning Georgia will hold two runoff elections on January 5th. On this day, Georgia will decide whether Republican incumbents Sen. David Perdue and Sen. Kelly Loeffler will survive challenges from Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. If both Sen. Perdue and Sen. Loeffler fail to retain their seats, the Senate will be split 50 seats to 50, handing ultimate power to presumptive Vice President Kamala Harris with the tie-breaking vote.
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