How close does an election have to be to trigger an automatic recount? (2020)

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An election recount is a process by which votes cast in an election are re-tabulated to verify the accuracy of the original results.

Automatic recounts occur if election results meet certain criteria laid out in state law. The most common trigger for an automatic recount is when election results fall within a close vote margin. This margin might be either a percentage or a number of votes. If the results for a race fall within the threshold of a close vote margin, state law requires an automatic recount. Requirements for an automatic recount might differ based on the type or level of office.

As of the November 2020 election:

• Eighteen states have at least one law requiring an automatic recount if a race's results fall within a close vote margin.
• Five states require an automatic recount only in the event of a tie vote.
• Four states require automatic recounts, but not based on a particular vote threshold. Instead, an automatic recount is triggered if election officials discover errors or discrepancies in vote totals.
• Twenty-three states do not require automatic recounts.

Automatic recount thresholds by state

See also: Vote margins required for election recounts, 2020

The map below breaks down each state by its automatic recount requirements. Hover over a state to read its specific requirements.

The table below lists each state's general election automatic recount requirements and related state statutes.

Automatic general election recount requirements by state
State	Recount required if the margin of victory is:	Citation
Alabama	Less than or equal to 0.5% for any candidate election or a statewide ballot measure election. This only applies to the general election.	AL Code § 17-16-20 (2019)
Alaska	Tie vote.	AK Stat § 15.15.460 (2019)
Arizona	Less than or equal to the lesser of any of the following: Candidate elections: 0.1% of the votes cast for both candidates, or 200 votes for offices where the turnout is greater than 25,000, or 50 votes for offices where the turnout is 25,000 or less, or 50 votes for state legislative offices, or 10 votes for county and municipal offices. Ballot measures: 0.1% of the votes cast upon the ballot measure, or 200 votes These do not apply to elections for precint committeemen or special district boards.	AZ Rev Stat § 16-661 (2019)
Arkansas	No automatic recounts.	N/A
California	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Colorado	Less than or equal to 0.5% for a candidate or ballot measure.	CO Rev Stat § 1-10.5-101 (2018)
Connecticut	Less than 0.5% but not more than 2,000 votes, or less than 20 votes. An automatic recount is also triggered if election officials discover a discrepancy in vote totals.	CT Gen Stat § 9-311, 311a (2019)
Delaware	State legislative and county offices: Less than 1,000 votes or 0.5%, whichever is less. Municipal offices in any election: Less than or equal to 0.5%.	15 DE Code § 5702, 3172, 7558 (2019)
District of Columbia	Not triggered by a close vote margin. A post-election audit might require an automatic recount under certain circumstances.	DC Code § 1–1001.09a (2019)
Florida	Less than or equal to 0.5%	FL Stat § 102.141 (2019)
Georgia	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Hawaii	Less than or equal to 100 votes or 0.25%, whichever is greater.	HI Rev Stat § 11-158 (2019)
Idaho	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Illinois	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Indiana	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Iowa	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Kansas	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Kentucky	Not triggered by a close vote margin. An automatic recount occurs if election officials discover an administrative or clerical error during the election and vote-counting process.	KY Rev Stat § 120.017 (2019)
Louisiana	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Maine	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Maryland	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Massachusetts	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Michigan	Less than or equal to 2,000 votes. This does not apply to offices where more than one candidate is elected.	MI Comp L § 168.880a, 168.879a (2019)
Minnesota	Not triggered by a close vote margin. An automatic recount occurs if the post-election audit of a county or counties consisting of more than 10% of the total number of persons voting in the election shows that an error occurred.	MN Stat § 206.89 (2019)
Mississippi	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Missouri	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Montana	Tie vote.	MT Code § 13-16-203 (2019)
Nebraska	Less than or equal to: 1% for candidates in elections where the turnout is more than 500 votes, or 2% for candidates in elections where the turnout is less than or equal to 500 votes. An automatic recount may also be triggered if election officials discover an obvious error during the canvass.	NE Code § 32-1119, 1031 (2019)
Nevada	No automatic recounts.	N/A
New Hampshire	No automatic recounts.	N/A
New Jersey	No automatic recounts.	N/A
New Mexico	Less than: 0.25% in elections for: Federal or statewide office, Statewide ballot measures, Supreme court or the court of appeals. 0.5% in elections for: Public regulation commissioner, public education commissioner, district attorney, or any county office in a county with more than 150,000 registered voters, Local ballot measures, District or metropolitan court. 1% for elections to any other office. An automatic recount might also occur as an outcome of a post-election audit, the specific guidelines for which can be found here.	NM Stat § 1-14-24, 1-14-13.2 (2019)
New York	Not triggered by a close vote margin. An automatic recount occurs if election officials identify vote total discrepancies or as the outcome of a mandated post-election audit of voting machines, the specific guidelines for which can be found here.	NY Elec L § 9-116 (2019), 9 CRR-NY 6210.18
North Carolina	Not triggered by a close vote margin. An automatic recount occurs if election officials discover a substantial error while conducting a random-sample partial recount as part of a requested recount. The specific circumstances can be found here.	NC Gen Stat § 163-182.7A (2019)
North Dakota	Less than or equal to: General and special elections: 1% Ballot measure elections: 0.25%	NDCC § 16.1-16-01
Ohio	Less than or equal to: County, municipal, and district elections: 0.5% Statewide elections: 0.25%	Ohio Rev Code § 3515.011 (2019)
Oklahoma	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Oregon	Less than or equal to 0.2% for candidate and ballot measures. This does not apply to ballot measures that required participation from at least 50% of registered voters and failed to meet that threshold.	OR Rev Stat § 258.280 (2019)
Pennsylvania	Less than or equal to 0.5% for statewide offices and statewide ballot measures. An automatic recount might also occur if election officials discover certain discrepancies described here.	25 P.S. § 3154
Rhode Island	No automatic recounts.	N/A
South Carolina	Less than or equal to 1% for constitutional amendments or any candidate.	SC Code § 7-17-280 (2019)
South Dakota	Tie vote. This does not apply to school or township elections.	SD Codified L § 12-21-16 (2019)
Tennessee	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Texas	Tie vote.	TX Elec Code § 216.001 (2019)
Utah	Certain margins met in municipalities that have adopted ranked-choice voting. This does not apply to any other election.	UT Code § 20A-4-603 (2019)
Vermont	Tie vote. This does not apply to local elections.	17 V.S.A. § 2592
Virginia	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Washington	Less than 2,000 votes and less than 0.5% of votes cast for statewide ballot measures or any candidate. This does not apply to state advisory votes or local ballot measures. An automatic recount also occurs if a partial recount changes an election outcome.	WA Rev Code § 29A.64.021, 29.A.64.050 (2019)
West Virginia	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Wisconsin	No automatic recounts.	N/A
Wyoming	Less than or equal to 1% of the votes cast in the particular race for ballot measure or any candidate. For constitutional amendments, the margin must be less than or equal to 1% of the total votes cast in the entire election. An automatic recount also occurs if election officials discover irregularities in the election of a candidate.	WY Stat § 22-16-109, 22-16-111 (2019)

Next question: Can a candidate or voter request a recount?

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.

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• 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
• How will election recounts work?
• Can a candidate or voter request a recount?
• Who pays for recounts and contested elections?

Additional reading

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Recounts and Contests Study"
• Citizens for Election Integrity Minnesota, "Recount Database"
• National Conference of Secretaries of State, "State Election Canvassing Timeframes and Recount Thresholds"
• National Conference of State Legislatures, "Automatic Recounts"