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 election results. If that happens, the state or county will cover the cost."
Maybe yes, maybe no.
A recount is a process by which votes cast in an election 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 election fraud, 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 election results meet certain criteria. Common criteria include a close vote margin, which is a margin of victory between two candidates within a specified percentage or a raw number of votes. If an election 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 election 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 election 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]