- Despite the Democrat candidate Conor Lamb declaring victory with fewer than 1,000 votes in the lead, Pennsylvania's election doesn't have to go to a recount.
- Voters in each precinct would have to file a petition to trigger a recount.
- Only absentee and provisional ballots remain to be counted as Lamb leads with 0.3%, or 677 votes.
Despite razor-thin margins in Pennsylvania's 18th district's special election, the state is not required to hold a recount as Democrat Conor Lamb leads with less than 1,000 votes and the election heads into its second day.
With 100% of precincts reporting, only absentee and provisional ballots remain uncounted. Lamb has already declared victory over his opponent, Rick Saccone, and as of Wednesday morning only leads by 677 votes.
But even with the 0.3% lead in votes, Pennsylvania law does not require a recount in this situation. Normally, Pennsylvania would require a recount for any candidate winning by less than half a percentage, but this is a special election for the seat of Tim Murphy, the Republican who stepped down after an abortion-related scandal.
Instead, if three voters from each precinct file a petition within five days of the final computations, they can trigger a recount, CNN's David Wright reported.
Though Republicans in Pennsylvania have yet to concede defeat, and remain hopeful that the final count will edify them, the close race bodes poorly for the party's chances in 2016.
From Business Insider's Allan Smith:
That Lamb could perform so well in a district that overwhelmingly supported Trump and had sent a Republican to Congress without much contention for the better part of two decades signalled major challenges for the party as it seeks to maintain its congressional majorities in this year's midterm elections.
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