Recount laws in Alabama

Election recount procedures are adopted and implemented primarily at the state level. This article summarizes recount procedures in Alabama. Note that the information on this page is not intended to serve as a manual for those seeking to start or halt a recount; individuals seeking more information about specific processes and requirements should contact their state election agencies.

Alabama recount procedures

Automatic recount procedures

If a candidate for any public office in a general election "is defeated by not more than one half of one percent of the votes cast for the office," state statutes stipulate that a recount must be conducted (unless the defeated candidate files a written form waiving the right to a recount).

Other recount procedures

Sections 17-16-21 and 17-16-40 of the Code of Alabama stipulate that any candidate for the offices listed below may petition for a recount, even if the margin of victory falls outside the 0.5 percent trigger point for an automatic recount. The candidate requesting the recount is responsible for paying all costs of the recount. The time period for requesting a recount begins "with the production of the certificate of result and ends 48 hours after the official canvass of county returns."

1. Governor
2. Secretary of state
3. Auditor
4. Treasurer
5. Attorney general
6. Commissioner of agriculture and industries
7. Public services commissioner
8. State senator or state representative
9. Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court
10. State appellate court judges
11. Circuit court judges
12. County-level offices

The relevant state statutes suggest that candidates for the United States Congress cannot petition for recounts.

See also

• Voting in Alabama
• Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Alabama