Connecticut Recount Laws

Less than or equal to .5% Vote count difference (not percentage-based) Varies by election contest Connecticut has two different thresholds for a close vote margin to trigger a recanvass. For general elections, the difference between the apparent winning candidate and the next candidate must be "(1) less than a vote equivalent to one-half of one per cent of the total number of votes cast for the office but not more than two thousand votes, or (2) less than twenty votes." One should note that the first initiating mechanism outlined here has two margins described (less than 0.5% and less than two thousand votes) and that the election results must fall within both to qualify for a recanvass, while the second initiating mechanism has only a single margin (less than twenty votes). See Chapter 148, Section 9-311a, "Recanvass on close vote": http://www.cga.ct.gov/2005/pub/Chap148.htm#Sec9-311a.htm Close vote margin recanvasses are applicable to all elected offices at the municipal, district, and state level, with presidential electors specially defined as a statewide office for recanvassing purposes. See Section 9-311a as it pertains to Section 9-372. Similar but separate requirements exist for recanvassing primaries. Again, there are two components of the close vote margin requirement: “(1) less than a vote equivalent to one-half of one per cent of the total number of votes cast at the primary for the office or position but not more than one thousand votes, or (2) less than twenty votes.” See Chapter 153, Section 9-445, “Recanvass on close vote”: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2005/pub/Chap153.htm#Sec9-445.htm. Timing: The recanvass must be called within three days after the election and must be completed within five days after the election. See Section 9-311a.