After a shocking loss and an emotional concession from Vice President Kamala Harris, we’re all asking what will come next. Harris supporters on social media are calling for a recount in many of the battleground states, but can that even happen two days after the election?
In the fight to the White House, former President Donald Trump flipped four key battleground states — Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin — to secure his victory. But in many of them, the winning margins came down to only thousands of votes. We’re still waiting for Nevada and Arizona to complete their count, but in states like Wisconsin where only 0.9 percent separated Trump and Harris, it’ll be up to the states to decide if a recount will happen.
Here’s the breakdown...
Georgia
In the Peach State, a candidate can request a recount within two days of an election result being certified only if the margin is less than 0.5 percent of the overall vote, according to the Georgia General Assembly. Trump took control of Georgia by securing 2,657,178 votes compared to Harris’ 2,541,270, marking the margin between them 2.2 percent.
Now, state election officials can also request a recount if they think there’s any issues with the numbers. So in cases of alleged voter suppression, continuous bomb threats, and other forms of interference, the state might have a good case to run back the count. And let’s not forget: Trump requested not one, but two recounts in the state back in 2020.
Pennsylvania
This state is a little different. An automatic recount is triggered if the margin is under 0.5 percent. In order for the recount to be valid, it must start by the third Wednesday after Election Day, according to the Department of State. In this election, this would make Nov. 20 the last day to call for one. The issue here is Trump won the state by two percentage points.
Michigan
Taking a page out of Pennsylvania’s state playbook, an automatic recount occurs in Michigan if the margin between candidates is less than 2,000 votes. Unfortunately for Harris, she loss by a little over 80,000 votes. It’s not all bad news though, if the Harris campaign believes fraud took place, they can also petition for a recount.
Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, they play no games. A candidate can only request a recount if the margin is less than one percent, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. In this case, Trump slimly won by 0.9 percent, so if Harris is really feeling froggy, she could jump at the opportunity to request a recount.
So to answer all the burning questions... Yes, Harris still has the opportunity to demand recounts in several swing states. The question is, will she do it? She’s already conceded, and although a verbal concession is not legally binding and she’d be well within her rights to demand a proper recount, Harris has made it clear she plans on engaging in a “peaceful transfer” of power.