A recount is a period of vote recounting that occurs following contested results of an election. The goal of a recount is to ensure that the voters’ intentions were properly recorded in the election and that the right candidate was deemed the winner.

Some recounts are triggered automatically by statute if a race falls within a particular margin. Other recounts are permitted at a candidate's option and often require the candidate requesting the recount to pay a fee for the recount.

Most people became familiar with the concept of a recount during the 2000 Presidential recount involving George Bush and Al Gore. Many people recall the image of talliers analyzing so-called "hanging chads" on those paper ballots.

More recently, in 2005, our Political Compliance team represented Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in defending his victory in a recount by challenger Freeman Hendrix. That recount lasted six weeks and was one of the largest recounts in Michigan history.

Dykema’s Political Compliance team has extensive experience dealing with issues like recounts which are initiated to uphold the integrity of the voting system. Our Team is prepared to jump into a recount at a moments notice either to challenge or defend election results.