As a record-breaking amount of mail-in voting continues to be counted following an inconclusive election night, candidates’ leads in key battleground states are dwindling, and the odds that a number of states will conduct recounts grows increasingly more likely.
Here’s a list of the states that the election hinges on — and what it would take in each state for a recount.
MICHIGAN — CALLED
Biden brought a key “blue wall” state back into the Democratic fold after notching a roughly 67,000-vote lead on President Trump.
Biden’s margin of victory means that an automatic recount will not be triggered in the state since more than 2,000 votes separate the two candidates.
Regardless of the number of votes separating the contenders, a candidate can still request a recount if he or she alleges fraud, mistakes, or wrongdoing. The candidate does not need to have specific evidence of the errors but does need to outline what those errors might entail.
The Trump campaign has already filed a lawsuit in Michigan in an effort to get the state to stop counting ballots.
.@JoeBiden wins prized state of Michigan. https://t.co/g2bkM3OyXK
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) November 4, 2020
WISCONSIN — CALLED
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has taken Wisconsin by fewer than 21,000 votes, according to Meagan Wolfe, the Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator.
There are no automatic recounts in Wisconsin. A candidate can request a recount if the margin of victory is less than or equal to 1%. Unlike other states, a presidential candidate must request a recount within a day of the official results being reported.
Biden’s tight lead in the state means that President Trump will likely have the legal standing to request a recount. The Trump campaign must request the recount by Thursday.
The Trump campaign has already said that it would demand a recount in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator says on @NBCNews: “All of the ballots have been counted.” Joe Biden has won Wisconsin by 20,697 votes.
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) November 4, 2020
ARIZONA
The Associated Press has already called Arizona for Biden, but other outlets, like ABC, say the race is too close to call. With 84% of the expected vote reported, Biden is up by about 100,000 votes.
Candidates cannot request a recount in the state of Arizona, according to Ballotpedia. An automatic recount will be triggered if the margin of the final vote is less than or equal to 0.1% of the votes cast. Biden currently has a roughly 3% lead.
GEORGIA
After a burst water pipe delayed counting in Georgia’s most populous county, the state has yet to call a winner. With 94% of the expected votes reported, Trump is up by about 100,000 votes.
A candidate can request a recount if the margin of victory is less than or equal to 0.5%. Trump’s margin is currently 2%. There are no automatic recounts in the state.
NBC just said it: “We’re looking at recount territory (in Georgia).”
— Steve Ramirez (@SteveRRamirez) November 4, 2020
NEVADA
With only 67% of the expected vote reported, Nevada is far from being called. Biden is currently ahead by roughly 8,000 votes.
There are no automatic recounts in Nevada, and there are no requirements for a candidate to request a recount. Nevada has 10 days to complete a requested recount.
NORTH CAROLINA
AP has yet to call North Carolina, with 94% of the expected results reported. Trump currently leads the state by about 80,000 votes.
A candidate can request a recount in North Carolina if the margin of victor is less than or equal to 10,000 votes or if the margin is less than .5% of the total ballot count — whichever is smaller. If election officials discover significant errors during randomly selected partial recounts resulting from a recount request from a candidate, the state will automatically approve a recount.
Trump is currently up by 1.5% in North Carolina.
North Carolina law allows candidates to request a recount if the difference between the votes for the requester and winner ≤ 10,000 votes or 0.5% of the votes cast, whichever is less. Candidates must request a recount by 12 p.m. November 26th. #ncpolhttps://t.co/tVUVbpnrkA pic.twitter.com/txXOmuRPQg
— Ballotpedia (@ballotpedia) November 4, 2020
PENNSYLVANIA
With more than 1.4 million mail-in ballots left to be counted, Trump’s massive 600,000-vote lead in the state is far from final. 64% of the expected vote has been reported and Trump is up by 12%.
There are no requirements for a candidate to request a recount in Pennsylvania. An automatic recount is triggered when the margin of victory is less than or equal to 0.5% of the total vote.
Since Pennsylvania did not start counting mail-in ballots until Election Day, officials said results may not be reported until Friday.
