Allegheny County recount to begin Wednesday for GOP Senate race

A recount of votes cast in Allegheny County in the Republican primary race for U.S. Senate will begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday, elections division officials announced Friday.

Allegheny County’s recount, ordered by Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman, will occur at the county’s Elections Division Warehouse.

The margin in the race between celebrity surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund CEO David McCormick was less than 1 percentage point, automatically triggering a recount.

Because the county uses an electronic voting system with paper ballots, all ballots will be recounted using a different device than what was used for the election.

Logic and accuracy testing will be conducted on all scanners Tuesday to prepare for the recount. Testing will begin at 12 p.m. and is estimated to take about two hours. Representatives of the party and candidates affected by the recount can observe the testing, though it is not open to the public or press.

Notice of the recount was provided to each candidate and to the county’s Republican chairman on Friday. Each candidate can be present for the recount or be represented by an attorney or send representatives to be present at the recount.

Officials will swear in 60 to 75 full-time county staff Wednesday morning to conduct the recount. Once scanning is complete, all ballots containing overvotes will be manually counted.

Officials estimate the process will take about two days.

Once the process is complete, the results will be submitted to the Department of State.

The Board of Elections on Friday also held a hearing regarding 30 challenged provisional ballots. Prior to the start of the hearing, 11 of the challenges were withdrawn, leaving 19 for the board to hear.

One voter appeared in person to speak to the board.

The board ultimately decided that, of the 30 ballots in question, 26 will be counted.

Parties have two days to appeal the decisions.

Editor’s note: The original version of this story included an incorrect figure regarding the number challenged provisional ballots that will be counted.