Bill Would Set Runoff 10 Weeks After Primary

A South Dakota legislative committee has endorsed a measure that would extend the time between primary elections and runoff elections.

Deputy Secretary of State Patricia Miller says the change is needed to comply with a federal law requiring that ballots be sent to military and overseas voters at least 45 days before an election for a federal office.

South Dakota law requires a runoff between the top two vote-getters if no candidate gets at least 35 percent of the votes in a U.S. Senate, U.S. House or gubernatorial primary. Current law sets that runoff election three weeks after the primary.

The House State Affairs Committee voted unanimously Monday to approve a bill setting runoffs 10 weeks after a primary. South Dakota has not had such a runoff for decades.