Bill > LD1289

This bill amends Maine's election recount process by reducing the vote percentage thresholds that trigger recount deposit requirements for both legislative/county and statewide/multicounty elections. For legislative and single county office recounts, the percentage difference threshold for requiring no deposit is reduced from 1.5% to 0.75%, and the subsequent deposit tiers are similarly halved (e.g., from 4% to 2%, from 6% to 3%, etc.). For statewide or multicounty office recounts, the threshold for requiring no deposit is reduced from 1% to 0.5%, and the vote count threshold is lowered from 1,000 to 500 votes. The bill also introduces a new requirement that the candidate requesting a recount must pay the actual cost of the recount, including payroll expenses for state workers involved in the process. If the initial deposit is more than the actual recount cost, the candidate will receive a refund; conversely, if the actual cost exceeds the deposit, the candidate must pay the difference. These changes aim to make the recount process more financially transparent and to ensure that candidates bear the appropriate costs when challenging election results.

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https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?LD=1289&snum=132