HARTFORD, Conn. — With a tight Fifth Congressional District race between Jahana Hayes and George Logan, it is increasingly likely to come down to a recount.
The state has outlined specific procedures as to what triggers a recount and how they are done.
In the event of a close vote, a tie vote, or a discrepancy, a recount (or a re-canvass) is required.
A close vote is when the difference between the top two candidates is less than 20 votes or less than one-half of 1% of the total vote cast for the office, and not more than 2,000 votes. In a primary, the difference cannot be more than 1,000 votes or less than 20 votes to be considered a close vote.
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The recount has to take place or before the fifth business day after the election. Since elections take place on a Tuesday, this would mean by Tuesday of the following week.
The recount is done under the supervision of the head moderator. State guidelines state that whenever ballots are outside of secure storage they should at all times be under the supervision of at least two election officials of opposing parties. The process is open for the public to observe.
In 2006, current U.S. Representative Joe Courtney from the Second district won after a recount of votes in his race with the then-incumbent Rep. Rob Simmons. Courtney won by 91 votes.
Doug Stewart is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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