Heading into the actual voting that will decide things, some election observers have suggested some of Iowa’s marquee races for congress, for the U-S Senate and for governor could wind up being decided by narrow margins. As Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports, there are legal guidelines for when a recount may be requested.
Under Iowa law, candidates in statewide or federal races may only request a recount if the margin between the two leading candidates is 15-hundreds of a percent (0.15%) or less. For all other races, the difference between the candidates would have to be less than one percent or 50 votes — whichever is less. Those thresholds were set in 2025. Recounting ballots by hand may only be allowed in extraordinary circumstances — so all or nearly all ballots are to be recounted by the same tabulation machines used on Election Day.
