North Carolina governor files for recount

By ELENA SCHNEIDER
11/22/16 02:26 PM EST


Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

North Carolina Republican Gov. Pat McCrory announced Tuesday that he has filed for a recount in the state following a close reelection race and two weeks of county-by-county challenges to individual ballots.

Democrat Roy Cooper currently leads McCrory by 8,500 votes, per Cooper's campaign, which has been providing faster updates than the state elections board. But state law allows for a recount if the margin is less than 10,000 votes.

"With many outstanding votes yet to be counted for the first time, legal challenges, ballot protests and voter-fraud allegations, we must keep open the ability to allow the established recount process to ensure every legal vote is counted properly," McCrory campaign manager Russell Peck said in a statement.

McCrory's campaign has alleged widespread voter fraud altered the results of the election, claiming that dead people, felons and people who voted in other states cast ballots in the race. So far, the majority of McCrory's complaints have been dismissed by local, Republican-controlled boards of election.

"This is nothing but a last-ditch effort from Gov. McCrory to delay and deny the results of this election. Roy Cooper leads by 8,569 votes – a number that is growing daily as counties finalize election results," said Cooper's campaign manager Trey Nix in a statement.

"We are confident that a recount will do nothing to change the fact that Roy Cooper has won this election.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/1...recount-231761