An election recount is a repeat tabulation of votes cast in an election that is used to determine the correctness of an initial count. Recounts will often take place if the initial vote tally during an election is extremely close. Election recounts will often result in changes in contest tallies. Errors can be found or introduced from human factors, such as transcription errors, or machine errors, such as misreads of paper ballots.
Australia Australian elections use instant-runoff voting and single transferable vote at the federal level to determine representatives for the House of Representatives and the Senate respectively. Tabulating votes for both houses involves automatic recounts known as "fresh scrutiny." For the House, this process occurs the Monday after a general election. The process in the Senate occurs shortly after the election, but only first preferences are recounted. A voter's full preferences for the Senate are not counted until after fresh scrutiny occurs. Candidates for either house may also request recounts, though such a request may be refused by the Electoral Commission. and 279
Similar processes occur at the state and territorial level. As in federal elections, candidates may request recounts subject to the discretion of electoral authorities.
Canada Recounts in Canadian elections are formal process oversaw by judges, and therefore are often referred to as "judicial recounts". For federal elections and the provincials of most provinces and territories, recounts are overseen by judges of the superior trial courts. Recounts or provincial elections in Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, and for territorial elections in Nunavut are oversee by judges of the provincial or territorial courts.
Recounts are conducted automatically if the difference between the vote tallies of the first and second place candidates falls below a certain threshold. In federal elections, tied elections or races with a difference of 0.1% result in automatic recounts. Electors, including candidates, may also petition an appropriate court for recounts within specific time limits following the election under certain conditions.
The threshold, time limit, conditions that may justify the granting of a recount, and which court would oversee the recount are prescribed by the relevant legislation governing the election in question. Each province and territory has its own applicable legislation governing their election, and some have separate legislations prescribing different rules for recounts in municipal elections.
Comparison of rules for election recounts
Province/TerritoryDifference threshold for automatic recountTime limitOverseeing court0.1% (1/1000) of all valid votes castWithin four days of validation of resultsThe superior trial court in the relevant province or territory.10 votesWithin ten days of the final tallySupreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador10 votes (or 15 votes at the request of a candidate)Within five days of the returning officer has distributed the statement of official resultsProvincial Court of Prince Edward Island10 votesWithin four days of the returning officer has distributed the statement of official resultsSupreme Court of Nova ScotiaNoneWithin four days of a candidate declared electedCourt of King's Bench of New Brunswickonly in cases of tie-vote (or 1/1000 of votes cast at the request of the second place candidate)Within four days of the final tally, if difference is less than 0.1% (1/1000 of votes cast)Court of Québec25 votesWithin four days (excluding Sunday) of the official tabulationOntario Court of Justice50 votesWithin six days of a candidate is declared electedManitoba Court of King's BenchThe sum of the number of ballots rejected, ballots objected to and unopened ballot envelopesWithin ten days of a candidate declared electedCourt of King's Bench for Saskatchewan100 votesWithin eight days after the announcement of official resultsCourt of King's Bench of Alberta 0.2% (1/500th) of all ballots consideredWithin six days of the final tallySupreme Court of BC10 votesWithin six days of the final tallySupreme Court of Yukon2% of total votes castWithin five "business days" of the final tallySupreme Court of the Northwest Territories2% of total votes castWithin eight days of declaration of resultNunavut Court of Justice
Rarity of changes It is extremely rare for elections to be overturned by recounts. In the twelve federal elections that took place between 1988 and 2015, judicial recounts was conducted or commenced in 50 instances. Election outcomes were changed by recounts in four instances. YearElectoral DistrictCandidateResultsNote Prelim Validated Recount2025 Terra Nova—The Peninsulas Anthony Germain19,593 Jonathan Rowe19,69219,6922021 Châteauguay--Lacolle Patrick O'Hara{18,017 Brenda Shanahan17,76217,7422008Brossard–La Prairie Marcel Lussier19,034 Alexandra Mendès 19,05719,100 1988 York North Maurizio Bevilacqua 35,917Outcome changed again on a second recount to Bevilacqua defeating O'Brien 37,513 to 37,436. The election was later annulled. Micheal O'Brien 37,43637,436
The changes of outcome in the 2008 and 2021 recounts were not entirely unexpected as apparent errors were identified in advance of the actual recount. In 2021, incumbent Liberal MP Brenda Shanahan was granted a recount despite being behind by a few hundred votes on having identified an apparent error relating to one ballot box. The error was confirmed during the recount confirmed and its correction singly change the margin by 370.
The 1988 recount for York North was conducted on November 30 and Progressive Conservative Micheal O'Brien was sworn in as MP. However, on appeal two weeks later the Ontario High Court ruled that the recount judged erred in excluding approximately 3,000 ballots and order a second recount with those ballot included. The second recount took place on January 11, 1989 and resulted in Bevilacqua defeating O'Brien 37,513 to 37,436. This was the first and so far the only time that an MP was vacated from their seat by recount after having be seated. O'Brien later successfully contested the election (see below), in doing so created an unprecedented situation where two MPs were unseated from a single election.
Distinction from contested elections Judicial recount are often conflated with contested elections in news reports and punditry. Recounts deal solely with the tabulation and counting of votes. Judges primarily adjudicate dispute over whether ballots are valid for counting, and concern themselves with the accuracy of the counting and tabulation. Recounts judges do not deal with concerns about irregularities, voters eligibilities, and other more serious allegations, and may not grant remedies to address any circumstances that may have compromised the fairness or integrity of the election process. Those concerns are addressed through a contested election application.
Elections were frequently overturned in Canada in the 1800s under the Dominion Controverted Elections Act, for corrupted practices such as bribery, treating (providing refreshment as a quid pro quo), and undue influence. That act was repealed in 2000 and was replaced by part 20 of the Canada Elections Act. With the introduction of the secret ballot, single-day cross the country, and certain unlawful campaign conduct explicitly codified, contested elections has become exceedingly rare. Since the 1970s, only two federal elections were successfully overturned for reasons not relating to counting.
The 1988 election in York North, already changed twice by recounts, was annulled by the Ontario High Court in May 1990. Bevilacqua won the subsequent by-election held in December, 1990. The election of Liberal Tatiana Auguste in Terrebonne in the 2025 Canadian federal election was upheld by judicial recount but was annulled by the Supreme Court of Canada, the first time the country's top court unseated an MP in over eighty years. She regained the seat in the subsequent by-election held in April 2026.
Notes for Canada
Ireland In Irish presidential elections, recounts occur only at the approval of the High Court. Candidates or the Director of Public Prosecutions may petition for a recount within seven days of the election. In the event of a recount, the High Court's decision is final. An identical process is available for elections to the Oireachtas.
New Zealand New Zealand uses a mixed-member proportional representation system for elections to its Parliament. As in Australia, an official count takes place shortly after the election day involving a recount of all of the ballots in electorates. Judicial recounts are also available in electorate and party list races. No threshold is needed for a recount to occur.
Singapore Elections in Singapore are determined through a First-past-the-post voting, with the candidate receiving the most votes being declared candidate-elect (or in the case of Group Representation Constituencies, a team of candidates-elect via General ticket, disregarding the number of divisions won). In all cases, recounts are overseen by the Returning officer, and it is automatically triggered whenever the margin of difference is within 2% (valid local votes only, excluding spoilt or tendered votes). Prior to the 2020 election, candidates are only allowed only one application for a recount.
While Singapore adopts Non-resident citizen voting, if a recount of votes resulted in a margin that would involve overseas votes (where the difference is within the total overseas electorate), the overseas votes would apply. In typical cases, recounts are not applied for overseas votes if results are already declared.
United States In the United States recounts rarely reverse election results. Of the 4,687 statewide general elections held from 2000 to 2015, 27 were followed by a recount, and only three resulted in a change of outcome from the original count: 2004 Washington gubernatorial election, 2006 Vermont Auditor of Accounts election, and 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota. Recounts are conducted at the state level rather than the federal level, even for federal offices.
Recount methods
Machine recount A machine recount is a retabulation of ballots cast during the election. This can be done using an optical scan voting system, punched card system or direct-recording electronic (DRE) voting machine. With document-based Ballot Voting Systems, ballots are counted a second time by some form of machine. With Non-document-based Ballot Voting Systems officials will recollect vote data from each voting machine which will be combined by a central tabulation system.
Manual recount A manual or "hand" recount involves each individual physical representation of voter intent being reviewed for voter intent by one or more individuals.
With DRE voting machines, a voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) is examined from each voter. For some DREs that do not generate a VVPAT, images can be printed for each ballot cast and counted individually.
Legal requirements Recounts can be mandatory or optional. In some jurisdictions, recounts are mandatory in the event the difference between the top two candidates is less than a percentage of votes cast or of a fixed number. Mandatory recounts are paid for by the elections official, or the state. Mandatory recounts can usually be waived by the apparent losing candidate. The winning side will usually encourage the loser to waive the recount in a show of unity and to avoid spending taxpayer money.