[EL] History of statewide recounts; more in NH US Senate 1974

Sun Nov 10 20:36:16 PST 2013

I have taken a quick look at the ICPSR data set # 7757, which is the vote total data set for state elections up to 1990.  At the state level, it's limited to president, governor, and one other state officer.  (It also has U.S. House elections, so would include statewide races for at large House elections, including states with just one member).  It reflects close to 5,000 elections.  There are 26 races with the margin less than 100 votes, and 10 with the margin less than 50 votes.  (I assume these are post-recount/contest totals.)

The closest is a 4-vote margin for president in Maryland in 1832.  (The Leip web site shows Jackson with 19,156 votes to Clay's 19,160.)

So, the Virginia AG race is historic, even if it's not THE closest race ever.

-cs

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Charles Stewart III
Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Political Science
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From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu [mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On Behalf Of Foley, Edward
Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2013 6:17 PM
To: Elias, Marc (Perkins Coie); Richard Winger; John Fund; Michael P McDonald; law-election at UCI.edu
Subject: Re: [EL] History of statewide recounts; more in NH US Senate 1974

In the nineteenth century a Massachusetts gubernatorial election was decided by just one vote (to avoid the election going to the legislature; there was a requirement to win a majority, not just a plurality).  But there weren't a million ballots cast.

In the book I'm writing on the history of disputed elections from the Founding to the present, I'm trying to cover all the ones that are worth discussing.  Closeness in absolute or percentage terms is important, of course, but so are the issues (or lack thereof) that emerge during the counting/canvassing process, as well as the institutions the state has for handling the issues that arise.

[The Ohio State University]
Edward B. Foley
Director, Election Law @ Moritz
Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer Professor for
the Administration of Justice & Rule of Law
Moritz College of Law
614-292-4288

From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu<mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu> [mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On Behalf Of Elias, Marc (Perkins Coie)
Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2013 5:32 PM
To: Richard Winger; John Fund; Michael P McDonald; law-election at UCI.edu<mailto:law-election at UCI.edu>
Subject: Re: [EL] History of statewide recounts; more in NH US Senate 1974

Not over 1mm votes cast though.  I assume Gregiore and Franken are  in top 3.

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Perkins Coie LLP
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From: Richard Winger <richardwinger at yahoo.com<mailto:richardwinger at yahoo.com>>
Reply-To: Richard Winger <richardwinger at yahoo.com<mailto:richardwinger at yahoo.com>>
Date: Sunday, November 10, 2013 at 4:04 PM
To: John Fund <johnfund99 at yahoo.com<mailto:johnfund99 at yahoo.com>>, Michael P McDonald <mmcdon at gmu.edu<mailto:mmcdon at gmu.edu>>, "law-election at UCI.edu<mailto:law-election at UCI.edu>" <law-election at uci.edu<mailto:law-election at uci.edu>>
Subject: Re: [EL] History of statewide recounts; more in NH US Senate 1974

The 1974 US Senate general election in New Hampshire was Louis Wyman, Republican, 110,926; John A. Durkin, Democratic, 110,924.  As already stated below, the strongly Democratic US Senate refused to seat Wyman and NH agreed to hold a special election do-over Sep. 16, 1975, which Durkin won.

Richard Winger
415-922-9779
PO Box 470296, San Francisco Ca 94147

________________________________
From: John Fund <johnfund99 at yahoo.com<mailto:johnfund99 at yahoo.com>>
To: Michael P McDonald <mmcdon at gmu.edu<mailto:mmcdon at gmu.edu>>; "law-election at UCI.edu<mailto:law-election at UCI.edu>" <law-election at uci.edu<mailto:law-election at uci.edu>>
Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2013 12:33 PM
Subject: Re: [EL] History of statewide recounts

how about New Hampshire US Senate race of 1974, so close It had a makeover in 1975
On Sunday, November 10, 2013 3:26 PM, Michael P McDonald <mmcdon at gmu.edu<mailto:mmcdon at gmu.edu>> wrote:

In Virginia we are narrowing down to an election outcome where the two candidates for Attorney general will be separated by perhaps less than 100 votes out of 2.2 million. Reporters want to know if this will be the closest statewide margin in history where there were, say, over 1 million vote cast. So, I throw the question to the combined wisdom of the list serve: what was the closest statewide election in history?

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