Revisited: Florida Recount - About Recounts... How rare they are & how rarely anything changes
Bottom Line: With key Florida elections once again producing elections that will head to a recount, the question becomes... Will anything change? It’s natural and in South Florida we’re especially sensitive to the topic. If political stress is an issue for you – you potentially could have PTSD from 2000 (and I’m only somewhat kidding). First, recounts themselves in state-wide races are extremely rare. How rare?
Since 2000, only .006% of statewide elections have resulted in a recount
That’s about one recount for every 174 elections if you’re keeping track. So, to have two in one election cycle in the same state – now that’s super rare. Leave it to Florida! But what about the recounts themselves? How often does the race flip during a recount?
11% of recounts since 2000 have resulted in a change
So, nearly nine out of every ten don’t change. But some might think that 11% is even more reason for concern. But here’s the final number that matters in this conversation. The number of votes that actually flip in state-wide recounts.
282 votes
In the average state-wide election only 282 votes flip from one candidate to another. The most votes that have ever flipped in a state-wide recount is 1,247 (that was during Florida’s 2000 Presidential recount). Those are numbers to consider as we wait for the dust & votes to settle in Florida in advance of the recount.