Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
A bill to ban runoff elections in city government races was deferred in a state Senate committee Tuesday, meaning it is likely dead for this year.
Why it matters: Critics lumped the proposal in with other bills targeting Metro and viewed it as a possible tool for a Republican-leaning mayoral candidate to win this year's race.
- The chairperson of the state Republican Party backed the bill. The theory was that Democratic candidates would split the bulk of the votes and a single conservative would then earn enough support to finish in first.
What he's saying: Sen. Jeff Yarbro, who is running for mayor and serves on the Senate committee that deferred the bill, said it was the right call.
- "Appreciate my colleagues on both sides of the aisle that helped pump the brakes on what could have been a huge disruption in local elections across the state," he tweeted.
Catch up quick with our list of who's running for mayor and who's still thinking about it
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