House panel approves bill allowing hand recounts, sets thresholds and costs

The House Appropriations Committee on a 6‑1 vote advanced House Bill 232, a measure that would allow ballots to be hand counted in recounts and audits under defined conditions and provide a state reimbursement mechanism for counties that exceed a capped cost.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Harrelson, told the committee the measure responds to constituent concerns and to a recent recount in Weston County where officials had no statutory mechanism to perform a hand check of ballots after tabulation. “What this bill does … is it gives us an opportunity to be able to, have basically recounts done by hand,” Harrelson said during his presentation.

Supporters said the bill aims to create a statutory process for hand recounts, set automatic recount triggers, and fund county costs. Key provisions adopted in committee would: trigger automatic hand recounts in any county where a candidate’s margin is less than 2% in that county for federal, statewide, or legislative offices; trigger an across‑the‑district or statewide automatic recount if the margin is under 1% for the entire district or state; permit candidates, county clerks,…