Is a recount automatic in a close race?

Florida orders a machine recount when the unofficial returns show a candidate lost by one-half of a percent or less, under Fla. Stat. 102.141(7). Ohio recounts a U.S. House race automatically when the margin is one-half of one percent or less, under Ohio Revised Code 3515.011.

Arizona requires a recount when the margin between the top two candidates is one-half of one percent or less of the votes cast for both, under A.R.S. 16-661. Arizona's automatic recount occurs during the canvass rather than replacing certification. New York requires a full manual recount when the margin is 20 votes or fewer or 0.5 percent or less, under Election Law 9-208.

In Michigan a candidate who alleges that but for fraud or mistake a different candidate would have been elected may petition, with no minimum margin for a House seat, under MCL 168.879. In Iowa a candidate may request a recount by 5 p.m. the day after the county canvass, under Iowa Code 50.48.

In Pennsylvania, the automatic 0.5 percent recount applies only to statewide races, so a House recount comes from voter petitions filed with the county court of common pleas, according to the Brennan Center. In Texas, a recount is automatic only on a tie, and a candidate may petition for one only when trailing by less than ten percent of the winner's vote total. In Wisconsin, a candidate trailing by no more than 1 percent, where more than 4,000 votes are cast, may petition after the canvass, and the recount is free only if the margin is 0.25 percent or less.