| Description |
Election recounts are an integral part of voting history in the United States. Initiated by the political jurisdiction or by the candidate, they have the power to overturn previously decided election results and have done so on more than one occasion. However, that power may not be worth its price as it may be mathematically unlikely to change the fate of an election by recount when tallying a large voter pool. This paper explores elements of the history of election recounts in the U.S. and emphasizes their significance regarding the modern-day wellbeing of the country. This paper will then statistically analyze the effectiveness of past election recounts, considering the proportion of elections successfully overturned, the potential difference between battleground and non-battleground states, and the potential difference between smaller and larger elections. A modest cost analysis will also be performed based on what a state or a candidate might be willing to pay to initiate an election recount. |
