Republican Gov. Pat McCrory has formally requested a recount of votes in his close race with Democrat Roy Cooper. Two weeks after Election Day, Cooper is moving ahead with preparations to take office as governor but McCrory has sought to raise doubts about the integrity of the election. More than half of the state’s 100 counties reported final results on or before Tuesday, even as county officials awaited guidance from the State Board of Elections on how to deal with allegations from Republicans of people voting in two states, ineligible felons voting and absentee voters who died before Election Day. Those questioned ballots add up to a few hundred, not the thousands of votes by which McCrory trails. A recount would happen after all counties report final results and only if fewer than 10,000 votes continue to separate Cooper and McCrory. More than 4.69 million votes were cast in the race.
In his letter to the State Board of Elections, McCrory wrote, “With serious concerns about potential voter fraud emerging across the state, it is becoming apparent that a thorough recount is one way the people of North Carolina can have confidence in the results, process and system.”
McCrory’s request came Tuesday at about the same time the state elections board was finishing an hours-long meeting spent hashing out guidance for county elections boards. The state board heard from several attorneys representing Republicans, Democrats and voting rights advocates. The meeting drew an audience of about 200.
Full Article: NC Gov. Pat McCrory wants recount in race with Roy Cooper | News & Observer.