What happens if no candidate receives a majority on the third vote?

What happens if no candidate receives a majority on the third vote?

• A. The election is postponed.
• B. All candidates are automatically nominated for the next election.
• C. The candidate with the lowest votes on the third vote is dropped from the fourth vote.
• D. The top vote-getter from the first round wins.

Answer: (C)

Resolving a ballot deadlock by eliminating the lowest-scoring candidate in the next round. When no candidate receives more than half of the votes on the third vote, the procedure drops the candidate with the fewest votes from the fourth vote, narrowing the field and moving toward a majority winner. This keeps the election moving rather than postponing it or prematurely declaring a winner. For example, if the third vote results are 40, 35, and 25 out of 100 votes, the candidate with 25 is removed from consideration in the fourth vote, leaving the other two to compete. The process continues until someone achieves a majority. This approach aligns with standard runoff practices and avoids automatic nomination or awarding victory based on an earlier round.

Resolving a ballot deadlock by eliminating the lowest-scoring candidate in the next round. When no candidate receives more than half of the votes on the third vote, the procedure drops the candidate with the fewest votes from the fourth vote, narrowing the field and moving toward a majority winner. This keeps the election moving rather than postponing it or prematurely declaring a winner. For example, if the third vote results are 40, 35, and 25 out of 100 votes, the candidate with 25 is removed from consideration in the fourth vote, leaving the other two to compete. The process continues until someone achieves a majority. This approach aligns with standard runoff practices and avoids automatic nomination or awarding victory based on an earlier round.