Can a candidate or voter request a recount? (2020)

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This article covers subjects specific to the 2020 general election. It has not been updated to reflect subsequent developments.
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A recount is a process by which votes cast in an election are re-tabulated to verify the accuracy of the original results. As of the November 2020 election, 43 states, allowed a candidate to request a recount. In 35 states, a voter or group of voters was allowed to request a recount in elections for at least one type of office or ballot measure. Recounts typically occur in the event of a close margin of victory, following accusations of election fraud, or due to the possibility of administrative errors. To learn about who pays for these recounts, click here.

The 2020 election took place against a backdrop of uncertainty. Our readers had questions about what to expect in elections at all levels of government, from the casting of ballots to the certification of final results. Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk was designed to answer those questions.

Candidate-requested recounts

See also: Vote margins required for election recounts, 2020

Candidates may request a recount in 42 states. Those states are highlighted in the map below. To read more about specific rules for candidate-requested recounts by state, click here.

Voter-requested recounts

See also: Vote margins required for election recounts, 2020

Voters may request a recount in 35 states. State law defines the elections in which voters have standing to request a recount.

• In four states, state law does not limit voters to requesting recounts in specific elections.
• In 28 states, voters are limited to requesting recounts for ballot measures.
• In Delaware, voters may only request a recount in local school board elections.
• In South Dakota, voters may request recounts in specific precincts for any election, but are otherwise limited to only requesting recounts for ballot measures.
• In Texas, voters may request recounts in presidential primaries but are otherwise limited to only requesting recounts for ballot measures.

Each of those types of states is highlighted on the map below.

Next question: Who pays for recounts and contested elections?

More frequently asked questions about the 2020 election

Click on a question below to read the answer:

• General election information
  • Who runs elections in the United States?
  • Why do states have different election rules?
  • What methods do states use to prevent election fraud?
  • Do you have to vote for everything on your ballot?
  • What happens if you mark outside the lines or use the wrong pen/pencil?
  • What is a spoiled ballot?
  • What is a write-in candidate?
  • How can I check the status of my ballot?
  • Can I take a ballot selfie?

• Presidential election
  • What happens if a presidential candidate declares victory in the 2020 election before results are final?
  • Can presidential candidates win the election if they have already conceded?
  • What are the steps and deadlines for electing the President of the United States?
  • What happens if there is a tie in the Electoral College?
  • What are faithless electors in the Electoral College?
  • What happens if a presidential nominee becomes incapacitated before the election?
  • Can members of Congress object to Electoral College results?

• Processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots
  • What is the life cycle of an absentee/mail-in ballot?
  • What happens if I vote by mail and want to change my ballot at a later date?
  • What happens if someone votes by mail and then tries to vote in person?
  • How do states protect and verify absentee/mail-in ballots?
  • How do election workers match signatures?
  • Are results reported on election night coming from in-person or absentee/mail-in votes?
  • Do states report how many mail-in/absentee ballots are outstanding on election night?
  • Do absentee/mail-in ballots take longer to count than in-person ballots?
  • What happens if someone votes by mail-in ballot or absentee ballot and subsequently passes away before Election Day?

• Disputing election results
  • How will election recounts work?
  • How close does an election have to be to trigger an automatic recount?
  • Can a candidate or voter request a recount?
  • Who pays for recounts and contested elections?
  • What are poll watchers?
  • What does it mean to challenge a voter's eligibility, and who can do it?
  • What is a redo election?
  • Who can file election-related lawsuits?
  • What are the reasons to call a redo election?
  • Who can call a redo election?
  • Can a redo be held for a presidential election?

• Election result reporting and certification
  • What happens if candidates declare victory in the 2020 election before results are final?
  • Can candidates win an election if they have already conceded?
  • How and when are election results finalized?
  • How do major media outlets declare winners?

• Transitions of power and taking office
  • Who is the president if election results are unknown by January 20, 2021?
  • Who serves in Congress if election results are unknown by January 2021?
  • Who serves in a state or local government if election results are unknown?
  • What happens if the winning presidential candidate becomes incapacitated before taking office?

• Articles about potential scenarios in the 2020 election
• U.S. Supreme Court actions affecting the November 3, 2020, general election

See also

• Election recount laws and procedures in the 50 states, 2020
• Noteworthy recounts in the United States
• Voting in 2020

Additional reading

• Citizens for Election Integrity Minnesota - State Recount Laws Searchable Database
• National Conference of State Legislatures - Election Recounts
• U.S. Election Assistance Commission - Conducting A Recount