Chances of recount in Arizona slim, top elections official says

PHOENIX — Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs believes the chances of an automatic recount being triggered for the state’s presidential race are miniscule.

Under state law, an automatic recount could only happen if the margin between two candidates is one-tenth of one percent of the number of votes cast or if the margin between the two is 200 or less votes. Whichever is lesser of the two.

With more than 3.1 million votes already counted, the recount could only be triggered if the margin between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican President Donald Trump is 200 or less votes.

Biden led Trump by about 39,000 votes with about 250,000 ballots left to be counted as of 4:45 p.m., according to Hobbs.

“There is no legal basis where someone could go to court and demand a recount that falls outside of those margins,” Hobbs told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Gaydos and Chad on Friday.

Trump’s campaign Wednesday announced that it would ask for a recount in Wisconsin, a battleground state The Associated Press called for Biden on Wednesday afternoon.

Campaign manager Bill Stepien cited “irregularities in several Wisconsin counties,” without providing specifics.

Trump’s campaign also filed lawsuits Wednesday in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia over election results.

Arizona’s only brush with contested election results was over the Sharpie conspiracy, which claimed county-provided markers bled through ballots.

That conspiracy was debunked by election officials and other state leaders, although a lawsuit is still in court.

Follow @DannyShapiro13