Boebert's race might not be recounted

[gldstwmn]

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert held her lead over challenger Adam Frisch into the fourth day of ballot counting in the 2022 midterm elections, with an ever-shrinking number of ballots yet to be counted.

The congresswoman took the lead in the race Thursday afternoon and gained momentum since then. As of 8 a.m. Friday, she was ahead by 1,122 votes, representing just a fraction of a percent margin between the two candidates, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

The race is not yet over, out-of-state and overseas ballots can still be counted so long as they arrive by Wednesday, and ballots requiring additional verification can be fixed until then as well. And if the race ends with a slim-enough margin it will trigger an automatic recount, which would last into December.

(snip)
But Boebert’s current lead sits above the automatic recount threshold of approximately 810 votes.

https://www.denverpost.com/2022/11/11/lauren-boebert-adam-frisch-recount-colorado-election-results/

[harumph]

1. Wow. 810. Seems a bit arbitrary.

[Grown2Hate]

2. I think the actual trigger for an auto-recount is a %, and at the # of current votes that would

equal ABOUT 810 votes (that's sort of the "target" right now for the auto-recount trigger).

[ProfessorGAC]

7. 810 Sounds Like An Anachronism

Like the law was written back in the day when 81,000 people voted in a congressional race.
So, they went to 1%. Silly to set a hard number when now more than 300k people voted in that race.

[Grown2Hate]

8. I see what you're saying, but I'm saying I'm pretty sure the trigger is not a "number" of votes

(like 810); I think the poster was just saying this is ABOUT how close it needs to end up (with the known vote totals) to pull him within that 0.05%, if that makes sense. If the law IS "810 votes", that is super bizarre.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. We Agree On That

We actually agree completely. But, if the story is accurate and it’s a hard number there’s likely a reason, no matter how frivolous, that number was picked.
We agree that it shouldn’t be a fixed number in the law, but for right now, all we have is this story that says that’s the case.
Here in Illinois, it is based upon a percentage. I’m pretty sure it’s 1% of total votes, but it might be less than that.

[sl8]

11. Automatic recount occurs when a margin of victory in an election is less than or equal to 0.5%

https://ballotpedia.org/Recount_laws_in_Colorado

[...]

Does state law require automatic recounts?
Yes, when a margin of victory in an election is less than or equal to 0.5% of the winner's vote.

When must an automatic recount be completed?
No later than 35 days after election day for state, district, and county races. No later than 40 days after election day for nonpartisan elections not coordinated by the county clerk.

Can a recount be requested?
Yes, the recount must be requested within 28 days after the election. The deadline for completion is no later than 37 days after the election. No margin is required.

Who pays for a requested recount?
The requester.

Is a refund available for requested recount costs?
Yes. Costs paid by the requester are refunded if the recount changes the election outcome or changes the results to the point where they would have triggered an automatic recount.

Can a partial recount be requested?
No.

[...]

[ProfessorGAC]

13. Ah, That's Better

That makes more sense.
We’re there really 400,000 votes cast in that district? That’s a whopping number! We had only a bit over 210k cast in our district here and the population of the 2 districts is pretty close to the same!

[gldstwmn]

16. You are correct.

In Colorado’s case, state statute requires a recount “if the difference between the highest number of votes cast in that election contest and the next highest number of votes cast in that election contest is less than or equal to one-half of one percent of the highest vote cast in that election contest.”
https://kdvr.com/news/politics/election/how-do-recounts-work-in-colorado/

[gldstwmn]

5. One of the biggest blocks of Boebert votes came from Mesa County,

home of election denier and indicted county clerk Tina Peters. Peters and her deputy were ordered to have nothing to do with the mid-term results but I do think Frisch's campaign should pay careful attention to those votes and any ballots that may be spoiled there.
I have no reason to believe that anything is amiss in Mesa County. But I was a lot more comfortable when I thought we were going to have a recount of those votes. We will have to wait until next Thursday for more results.

[krawhitham]

12. It's 1/2% of the leaders vote total

edited for decimal point

[bigtree]

3. In the 2020 election, 11,085 Colorado ballot signature issues were resolved using TXT2Cure

To use TXT2Cure, voters should text “Colorado” to 2VOTE (28638) and then enter their voter ID number, which is printed on the notice they receive in the mail. They should affirm that they indeed returned a ballot in the election, sign the affidavit on their phone, take a photo of an acceptable form of ID and click “Submit.” This transmits the voter’s information to their county clerk, allowing their vote to be counted in the election.

In the 2020 election, 11,085 ballot signature issues were resolved using TXT2Cure, allowing those ballots cast by Colorado voters to be counted. In that same election, 21,803 Colorado ballots were ultimately rejected due to a signature discrepancy, and 1,584 were rejected due to having no signature, according to data provided by the secretary of state’s office.

https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/problem-ballot-signature-txt2cure-lquickly-resolve/

[somaticexperiencing]

4. of course I wish for Dems to retain the House. However, this quote about warriors calls out to me.

“Weapons may be carried by creatures who are evil, dishonest, violent or lazy. The true warrior is good, gentle and honest. His bravery comes from within himself; he learns to conquer his own fears and misdeeds.”
Brian Jacques

They are the worst possible warriors.

With the right kung-fu on our side, they may continue to inflict more damage to themselves while cretins like Boebert are in power than when they are not.

Just a thought.

Don't kill me for it.

Use it or throw it away.

[arlyellowdog]

6. Democrats can pay for a recount

If votes above the required

[Amishman]

9. if its above the auto threshold, it would probably be a waste of money

too many votes to flip

[Hermit-The-Prog]

17. Depends on how many deniers are involved. I assume Dems there will know.

The auto threshold would likely cover mistakes made in an ordinary election. Whether or not election deniers working the election could add enough "mistakes" to warrant paying for a recount above that threshold would be a matter for those close to the election to decide.

(We don't have close elections where I live, but I was shocked and happy to see a few Democrats getting over 40%. )

[brooklynite]

15. Colorado Recount Law: § 1-10.5-101. Recounts required - expenses

(b) A recount of any election contest shall be held if the difference between the highest number of votes cast in that election contest and the next highest number of votes cast in that election contest is less than or equal to one-half of one percent of the highest vote cast in that election contest. If there is more than one person to be elected in an election contest, a recount shall be held if the difference between the votes cast for the candidate who won the election with the least votes and the candidate who lost the election with the most votes is less than or equal to one-half of one percent of the votes cast for the candidate who won the election with the least votes. A recount shall occur only after the canvass board certifies the original vote count.