How Much Contested Elections Could Cost in Every State
This election year has been unlike any other the U.S. has known, with the global pandemic canceling in-person conventions, relegating fundraising and campaign events to digital zones and driving up the option for citizens to vote-by-mail, instead of going to the polls.
Unless there’s a clear landslide victory, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll know who the president-elect is the day — or even the week — after Election Day. States have more than a month — until December 14 — to count ballots and cast their electoral votes, and given the anticipated surge of mail-in ballots, they’ll probably need the extra time. It’s also possible that one of the candidates won’t agree with the results and contest the election, initiating a recount of votes.
A contested election would not only mean a potentially drawn-out legal nightmare, but it would also make for a staggering bill. Recount costs vary by state and then by county, with cost also hinging on voter turnout. And as for who pays — well, that also depends. Some states foot the entire bill for recounts, while others charge the fees to the contesting candidate — who is typically only reimbursed by the state if the results are overturned. By examining recount data from Pew Research Center along with comments and figures published by Wisconsin and Michigan’s secretaries of state following the 2016 election, GOBankingRates has estimated how much a contested election would cost each state. As Michigan’s Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said after the 2016 presidential election, “[Recount costs] are very hard to predict” — which is why these estimates are so broad in range. Find out what it could cost if the election is contested after you cast your vote this year.
Last updated: Sept. 25, 2020
Alabama
2016 voter turnout: 2,078,165
Potential cost of a recount: $311,725 to $2,473,016
Alaska
2016 voter turnout: 246,588
Potential cost of a recount: $36,988 to $293,440
Arizona
2016 voter turnout: 2,062,810
Potential cost of a recount: $309,422 to $2,454,744
Arkansas
2016 voter turnout: 1,121,684
Potential cost of a recount: $168,253 to $1,334,804
California
2016 voter turnout: 11,121,684
Potential cost of a recount: $1,793,148 to $14,225,637
Colorado
2016 voter turnout: 2,558,405
Potential cost of a recount: $383,761 to $3,044,502
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Connecticut
2016 voter turnout: 1,623,542
Potential cost of a recount: $243,531 to $1,932,015
Delaware
2016 voter turnout: 441,535
Potential cost of a recount: $66,230 to $525,427
Florida
2016 voter turnout: 9,386,750
Potential cost of a recount: $1,408,013 to $11,170,233
Georgia
2016 voter turnout: 4,029,564
Potential cost of a recount: $604,435 to $4,795,181
Hawaii
2016 voter turnout: 404,154
Potential cost of a recount: $60,623 to $480,943
Idaho
2016 voter turnout: 688,235
Potential cost of a recount: $103,235 to $819,000
Illinois
2016 voter turnout: 5,374,280
Potential cost of a recount: $806,142 to $6,395,393
Indiana
2016 voter turnout: 2,722,029
Potential cost of a recount: $408,304 to $3,239,215
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Iowa
2016 voter turnout: 1,542,880
Potential cost of a recount: $231,432 to $1,836,027
Kansas
2016 voter turnout: 1,147,143
Potential cost of a recount: $172,071 to $1,365,100
Kentucky
2016 voter turnout: 1,923,346
Potential cost of a recount: $288,502 to $2,288,782
Louisiana
2016 voter turnout: 2,027,731
Potential cost of a recount: $304,160 to $2,413,000
Maine
2016 voter turnout: 741,550
Potential cost of a recount: $111,233 to $882,445
Maryland
2016 voter turnout: 2,474,543
Potential cost of a recount: $371,181 to $2,944,706
Massachussetts
2016 voter turnout: 3,231,531
Potential cost of a recount: $484,730 to $3,845,522
Michigan
2016 voter turnout: 4,790,917
Potential cost of a recount: $718,638 to $5,701,191
Minnesota
2016 voter turnout: 2,916,404
Potential cost of a recount: $437,461 to $3,470,521
Mississippi
2016 voter turnout: 1,162,987
Potential cost of a recount: $174,448 to $1,383,955
Missouri
2016 voter turnout: 2,775,098
Potential cost of a recount: $416,265 to $3,302,367
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Montana
2016 voter turnout: 485,109
Potential cost of a recount: $72,766 to $577,280
Nebraska
2016 voter turnout: 805,63
Potential cost of a recount: $120,846 to $958,709
Nevada
2016 voter turnout: 1,122,990
Potential cost of a recount: $168,449 to $1,336,358
New Hampshire
2016 voter turnout: 732,229
Potential cost of a recount: $109,834 to $871,353
New Jersey
2016 voter turnout: 3,674,893
Potential cost of a recount: $551,234 to $4,373,123
New Mexico
2016 voter turnout: 788,841
Potential cost of a recount: $118,326 to $938,721
New York
2016 voter turnout: 7,046,175
Potential cost of a recount: $1,056,926 to $8,384,948
North Carolina
2016 voter turnout: 4,629,471
Potential cost of a recount: $694,421 to $5,509,070
North Dakota
2016 voter turnout: 336,968
Potential cost of a recount: $50,545 to $400,992
Ohio
2016 voter turnout: 5,325,395
Potential cost of a recount: $798,809 to $6,337,220
Oklahoma
2016 voter turnout: 1,451,056
Potential cost of a recount: $217,658 to $1,726,757
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Oregon
2016 voter turnout: 1,808,575
Potential cost of a recount: $271,286 to $2,152,204
Pennsylvania
2016 voter turnout: 5,970,107
Potential cost of a recount: $895,516 to $7,104,427
Rhode Island
2016 voter turnout: 450,787
Potential cost of a recount: $67,618 to $536,437
South Carolina
2016 voter turnout: 2,084,444
Potential cost of a recount: $312,667 to $2,480,488
South Dakota
2016 voter turnout: 370,047
Potential cost of a recount: $55,507 to $440,356
Tennessee
2016 voter turnout: 2,484,691
Potential cost of a recount: $372,704 to $2,956,782
Texas
2016 voter turnout: 8,903,237
Potential cost of a recount: $1,335,486 to $10,594,852
Utah
2016 voter turnout: 984,957
Potential cost of a recount: $147,744 to $1,172,099
Vermont
2016 voter turnout: 291,413
Potential cost of a recount: $43,712 to $346,781
Virginia
2016 voter turnout: 3,844,787
Potential cost of a recount: $576,718 to $4,575,297
Washington
2016 voter turnout: 2,957,942
Potential cost of a recount: $443,691 to $3,519,951
West Virginia
2016 voter turnout: 708,226
Potential cost of a recount: $106,234 to $842,789
Wisconsin
2016 voter turnout: 2,944,620
Potential cost of a recount: $441,693 to $3,504,098
Wyoming
2016 voter turnout: 248,742
Potential cost of a recount: $37,311 to $296,003
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Methodology: In order to find how much contested elections could cost in each state, GOBankingRates used The Pew Center on the States’ brief “The Cost of Statewide Recounts” as well as statements and figures provided by the Michigan and Wisconsin Secretaries of State to establish a range of what a statewide recount could cost per ballot. With an estimated range of $0.15 to $1.19 per ballot established, GOBankingRates then found 2016 turnout for each state using Politico’s data and factored out the range a recount could potentially cost in each state. As a note, these figures represent a wide range of costs as recounts vary state to state and county to county. These figures can change with a change in turnout or labor needed, as well as if multiple recounts are needed. All data was collected on and up to date as of Sept. 17, 2020.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Much Contested Elections Could Cost in Every State
