Runoff Election 2026 Dates: Georgia Dec. 1, Louisiana Dec. 12, Mississippi Dec. 1

Georgia’s General Election Runoff, if one is required, is Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2026, according to georgia.gov, and Louisiana’s second round is Saturday, Dec. 12, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State. Mississippi also lists Dec. 1 as a runoff day for judge and school board races. Every deadline below comes from those state calendars, and a runoff happens only if no race on the ballot is decided on Nov. 3 under the state’s rules.

Runoff and second-round dates by state

Milestone	Georgia	Louisiana	Mississippi
Election Nov. 3	General election	Open U.S. Representative Primary/Open Primary	General election
Register to vote	Mon., Nov. 2	Thu., Nov. 12 (in person or by mail); Sat., Nov. 21 (online, GeauxVote)	Mon., Nov. 2
Request a mail or absentee ballot	Fri., Nov. 20	Tue., Dec. 8	Not covered here
Early or in-person absentee voting	Mon., Nov. 23-Wed., Nov. 25	Sat., Nov. 28-Sat., Dec. 5 (no Sunday, Nov. 29), 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.	In-person absentee ends Sat., Nov. 28 at noon
Runoff or second-round day	Tue., Dec. 1 (if required)	Sat., Dec. 12	Tue., Dec. 1 (if required), polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Mail ballot must arrive	7 p.m. on Dec. 1	Fri., Dec. 11	Tue., Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. if postmarked by Dec. 1

Dates come from georgia.gov, the Louisiana Secretary of State’s 2026 elections calendar (revised July 2026) and the Mississippi Secretary of State’s 2026 elections calendar (revised Sept. 8, 2026). You can mark them on our November 2026 printable calendar and December 2026 printable calendar.

When is the Georgia runoff and what are the deadlines?

georgia.gov lists the General Election Runoff for Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2026, if needed. That is four weeks after the Nov. 3 election. The state’s page does not give poll hours for the runoff, so check with your county election office.

• Register: georgia.gov says Monday, Nov. 2 “is the last day eligible Georgians can register to vote in the Runoff Election, if one is required.” Confirm your status with your county registrar.
• Absentee ballot: the last day to request one is Friday, Nov. 20. Absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Dec. 1.
• Early voting: Monday, Nov. 23 to Wednesday, Nov. 25. georgia.gov calls it “a very short early voting window, abbreviated due to the Thanksgiving holiday.”

For this election, the Georgia Election Guide on georgia.gov lists an Oct. 5 registration deadline and early voting from Oct. 13 to Oct. 30. Our Georgia ballot and advance voting guide covers the Nov. 3 ballot.

When does Georgia certify the Nov. 3 results?

The Brennan Center for Justice, in an analysis updated Oct. 13, 2026, cites Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) sections 21-2-493(k) and 21-2-499(b). It says counties certify by 5 p.m. on the Monday after the election, Nov. 9, and the Secretary of State certifies by 5 p.m. on the 17th day, Nov. 20. Our midterm results timeline explains how counting works across states.

What is Louisiana’s Dec. 12 election?

The Louisiana Secretary of State’s calendar names Nov. 3 the “Open U.S. Representative Primary/Open Primary.” It names Saturday, Dec. 12 the “Open U.S. Representative General/Open General/Special Primary (14th State Senatorial District Only).” Dec. 12 is the second round in Louisiana’s open system. The calendar adds a note: “Per Act 7 of the 2026 Regular Session, U.S. Representative is no longer considered a closed party office.”

Louisiana deadline for Dec. 12	Date
Register in person or by mail	Thu., Nov. 12
Register online (GeauxVote)	Sat., Nov. 21
Early voting, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.	Sat., Nov. 28-Sat., Dec. 5, except Sun., Nov. 29
Request a mail ballot	Tue., Dec. 8
Mail ballot must be received	Fri., Dec. 11

Louisiana readers can also look at our Louisiana sample ballot guide for the Nov. 3 ballot.

What is on the Mississippi runoff calendar for Dec. 1?

The Mississippi Secretary of State lists Tuesday, Dec. 1 as “General Election/Special Election Runoff Day (if required) for Mississippi Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Chancery, Circuit, and County Court Judges; School Board Members/Trustees,” with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The runoff registration deadline is Nov. 2. In-person absentee voting ends Saturday, Nov. 28 at noon. Mail ballots must be postmarked by runoff day and received by Dec. 8 at 5 p.m.

Do Texas and Alabama have general election runoffs?

Texas local runoffs, if any, follow dates set by each city or district; check the Texas Secretary of State. Our Texas election calendar covers the state’s other dates. Alabama has runoffs only in primaries, and the Alabama Secretary of State lists the 2026 primary runoff as June 16. No Alabama general election runoff appears in that calendar.

Print the runoff dates

Our free one-page printable, “2026 Runoff Election Dates: Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi,” lists each deadline above in date order with a Done box. Dates can change, so confirm with your county or parish election office before you vote.