Georgia Democrats Warn 0.5% Recount Law Could Delay State Results
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Nov 2
Georgia Democrats Warn 0.5% Recount Law Could Delay State Results
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 2
Summary
Georgia Democrats say several state races may be close enough to trigger automatic statewide hand recounts, raising fears of delays and post-election confusion even as they remain optimistic about Sen. Jon Ossoff and other candidates.
The new law requires the secretary of state to order a manual recount when the initial margin is within 0.5% in races for governor, lieutenant governor and other state offices, but not for U.S. Senate or House contests.
State Rep. Saira Draper said Republicans had privately portrayed such razor-thin races as unlikely when passing the measure, calling it a concession to election deniers rather than an accuracy fix.
Brad Raffensperger's office says Georgia is ready if recounts are triggered, pointing to the state's 2020 presidential hand recount, which finished without major incident and trimmed Joe Biden's lead by about 1,200 votes.