Simple Sam wrote:
Not true!
"The requester pays for the recount and is refunded if the recount reveals substantial error or fraud. Requested recounts rely on a request made by an interested party. When this happens, the party is usually responsible for the costs, unless the recount overturns the e******n results. If that happens, the state or county will cover the cost."
Maybe yes, maybe no.
A recount is a process by which v**es cast in an e******n are re-tabulated to verify the accuracy of the original results. Recounts typically occur in the event of a close margin of victory, following accusations of e******n f***d, or due to the possibility of administrative errors.
Who pays for a recount typically depends upon whether the recount is automatic or requested. As of October 2020, 20 states had a statutory provision allowing for automatic recounts, and 43 states had a statutory provision allowing for requested recounts.
Automatic recounts are circumstantial, meaning they are not requested, but rather come into effect if e******n results meet certain criteria. Common criteria include a close v**e margin, which is a margin of victory between two candidates within a specified percentage or a raw number of v**es. If an e******n ends within that margin, certain states' laws mandate a recount. In the event of an automatic recount, states or counties usually cover the costs.[1][3]
Requested recounts require an interested party to ask for a recount. When an interested party requests a recount, he or she is normally responsible for most of the costs, unless the recount overturns the e******n results, in which case the state or county covers the cost.[4][5] In some states, such as Delaware, the state covers the cost of a requested recount regardless of the outcome.[6]
Additionally, some states cover the cost of a requested recount even if it does not overturn the initial result, but instead meets some other criteria. In Colorado, if a requested recount changes the e******n result so that it would have triggered an automatic recount, the state covers the costs.[7] Alaska pays for requested recounts if they change the results by four percent or more in favor of the requestor.[8]