Recount underway in congressional contest (2024)

Dan Stegink Apr 16, 2024 3:15pm

Thanks for the shout out on your blog. Here's some background:

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-13/simitian-low-liccardo-eshoo-tied-recount-silicon-valley-congress

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/11/editorial-tied-congressional-race-recount-a-victory-for-election-integrity/

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Andrew Trott Apr 16, 2024 11:23am

According to the Times, Stegink said he acted out of the altruistic belief that a 2-way race is better for democracy because it means the winner will have gotten a majority of votes rather than a mere plurality. But for the campaigns it's presumably all about the odds of winning. As near as I can figure, Liccardo likes his chances better in a 2-way race, while Simitian and Low both like their chances better in a 3-way race.

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Andrew Trott Apr 16, 2024 11:15am

This account omits the (apparent) fact (according to the LA Times) that Stegink said he was requesting on behalf of Low only because the request form required him to pick one of the candidates, and that Low said he was opposed to recounts in both counties. So there's a complicated chess game underway here, but it may be misleading to say that Stegink was acting on behalf of Low when he submitted his request.

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