• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock

3

Meet the 2 men putting New York's $300 billion pension fund in play for the first time in 20 years

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock

3

Meet the 2 men putting New York's $300 billion pension fund in play for the first time in 20 years
Politics

There’s little reason to expect Georgia’s election recount to change anything

Aric Jenkins
By
Aric Jenkins
Aric Jenkins
Down Arrow Button Icon
Aric Jenkins
By
Aric Jenkins
Aric Jenkins
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 12, 2020, 5:00 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

With tight margins between President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden, the state of Georgia on Wednesday officially announced a hand recount of all the votes cast in the presidential election. If history is anything to go by, the result will likely stay the same: a Democrat winning Georgia for the first time in 28 years.

About 14,000 votes currently separate Biden and Trump, just 0.3% of the roughly 5 million ballots counted. The difference was slim enough for Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, to order a “risk-limiting audit” to verify the results of a close race. “This will help build confidence,” Raffensperger said. “It will be an audit, a recount, and a recanvass all at once.”

In the context of millions of votes, 14,000 may not sound like much, but in practically every state election in modern U.S. history, such an amount has proved insurmountable. In Wisconsin, in the 2016 presidential election, Trump beat Hillary Clinton by roughly 20,000 votes. A recount ended up netting Trump just 131 additional votes. In 2011, a 7,300-vote difference in the Wisconsin state Supreme Court election swung just 312 votes following a recount.

For the 2020 election, Trump’s campaign said it would request a recount in Wisconsin once again with a margin in favor of Biden of about 20,000 votes. Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, said that while Trump has every legal right to push forward with recounts, 20,000 votes would be a “high hurdle” to overcome.

Rick Hasen, a professor of law and political science at the University of California at Irvine, echoed that sentiment, tweeting, “So far none of the legal suits have even potential to change election outcome, given what we know about the outstanding vote and how [the] election was run.

“Nor has there ever been statewide recount to pick up something like the 20K votes in [Wisconsin],” he added. “[Georgia] could be different but not decisive.”

Since 2000, there have been at least 31 statewide recounts, according to the Associated Press. Only three changed the outcome of the election, and the initial margins in those races were all under 300 votes.

The most famous recent example of a recount came after the 2000 presidential election when George W. Bush led Al Gore in Florida by fewer than 2,000 votes. A machine recount narrowed Bush’s margin of victory to 327 votes. Gore then requested a hand recount in Florida’s heavily Democratic counties, but Bush sued to stop the recount, with the Supreme Court ultimately ruling to end the recount and declare Bush the winner.

There’s one more issue when it comes to the possibility of altering the results of the 2020 election: Biden doesn’t need to win Georgia. After winning Pennsylvania, he secured enough electoral votes to take him over the 270 mark.

And as of Wednesday, Pennsylvania doesn’t look like it will fall under the threshold of 50,000 votes required to trigger an automatic recount. In fact, the lead in the state looks likely to only grow further, leaving little chance for Trump’s legal team to bring any legitimate challenge to court.

About the Author
Aric Jenkins
By Aric Jenkins
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Politics

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis (left) stands on a spiral staircase next to Google DeepMind researcher John Jumper.
NewslettersEye on AI
Defections from Google DeepMind prompt questions about Alphabet’s efforts to stay at the forefront of AI
By Jeremy KahnJune 23, 2026
11 hours ago
k
PoliticsElections
Coming to an election near you: prediction markets
By Matt Motta, Robert Ralston and The ConversationJune 23, 2026
13 hours ago
Doctor giving patient injection in volunteer clinic
HealthHealth
For the first time ever, no young women in England died of cervical cancer. In the U.S., RFK Jr.’s vaccine skepticism stalls HPV progress
By Catherina GioinoJune 23, 2026
14 hours ago
ks
PoliticsUnited Kingdom
10 years of Brexit means 7 Prime Ministers and a broken British politics
By Jill Lawless and The Associated PressJune 23, 2026
15 hours ago
burnham
PoliticsUnited Kingdom
Britain poised for ‘Manchesterism’ under presumptive next Prime Minister Andy Burnham
By Jill Lawless and The Associated PressJune 23, 2026
15 hours ago
Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan
CryptoCryptocurrency
Polymarket allegedly faked trades. Chances are slim Trump admin investigates, says sports-betting attorney
By Camila Grigera NaónJune 23, 2026
15 hours ago

Most Popular

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
18 hours ago
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
Banking
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
By Jim EdwardsJune 23, 2026
20 hours ago
Meet the 2 men putting New York's $300 billion pension fund in play for the first time in 20 years
Investing
Meet the 2 men putting New York's $300 billion pension fund in play for the first time in 20 years
By Nick LichtenbergJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 23, 2026
17 hours ago
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
Success
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
By Sydney LakeJune 21, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 22, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 22, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 22, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.