The Pennsylvania Department of State has decided to halt a recount for the U.S. Senate race following the concession of incumbent Senator Bob Casey to Republican nominee Dave McCormick. In a communication shared with county election officials, the department noted that Casey requested the recount to be terminated.
The email from Jonathan Marks, Pennsylvania’s deputy secretary of state, indicated that counties that had not yet completed the recount for the Senate race were no longer obligated to do so. McCormick’s victory came by a margin of over 16,000 votes, or 0.24%, a gap deemed highly unlikely to be overturned in a recount according to research.
State law mandates an automatic recount in statewide races when the margin is within 0.5%, but it also allows the losing candidate to forgo this process. The recount was initially announced by Secretary of State Al Schmidt on November 13, with completion expected next week.
In a positive note, Secretary Schmidt expressed gratitude towards Pennsylvania’s election officials for their dedicated efforts throughout the election cycle, which included the counting of millions of ballots and the conduct of two audits to ensure accuracy in the votes cast during the November 5 election.
This development underscores a collaborative spirit in the electoral process, highlighting the importance of transparency and diligence in ensuring that every eligible vote is counted accurately.