Georgia likely to hold recount with Biden ahead by a few thousand votes

WASHINGTON — The US state of Georgia said Friday it will recount votes from the election in which Joe Biden has eked out a razor-thin lead over US President Donald Trump.

“With a margin that small, there will be a recount in Georgia,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told reporters in Atlanta.

Raffensperger, the top elected official overseeing elections, said that the presidential contest in the state “remains too close to call.”

Technically one of the candidates will need to request a recount, which can happen if, under Georgia law, the margin is less than 0.5 percent of ballots cast. That request must be made within two days of results being certified.

Almost complete results as of Friday morning showed Biden leading by just over 1,500 votes in Georgia, where changing demographics and strong turnout from African-Americans have put in play a Southern state once seen as reliably backing Trump’s Republicans.

Georgia is equally critical as it is the only state holding elections for both its Senate seats this year, meaning it will determine which party is in control.

Under Georgia’s system, Senate races go to a runoff if no candidate receives 50 percent in the first round.

“The final tally in Georgia at this point has huge implications for the entire country,” Raffensperger said.

“The stakes are high and emotions are high on all sides. We will not let those debates distract us from our work. We’ll get it right and we’ll defend the integrity of our elections.”

He said that Georgia was letting observers from both campaigns watch the counting after Trump, with no evidence of alleged widespread fraud nationwide.