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2nd District recount costs Poliquin campaign $14,560

Poliquin requested the recount in late November to challenge the Nov. 6 election's 2nd District ranked-choice voting results, but ended the process on Dec. 14.

Rep. Bruce Poliquin's recount request of the Nov. 6 2nd Congressional District race cost him and his campaign about $14,500.

Final costs were announced Thursday by the state secretary's office.

According to Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, here's the cost breakdown:

  • $12,114.36 for Maine State Police's ballot transportation
  • $2,446.16 for Secretary of State's Office to conduct recount
  • $14,560.52 total

As referenced by Secretary Dunlap's office on Nov. 26 when Rep. Poliquin's campaign submitted the recount request, per Maine law, the Poliquin campaign was to be charged $5,000 if the results were unchanged after the recount process due to a results margin of more than 1,000 votes.

That $5,000 was already submitted by the campaign, the office said, which means the remaining balance due as of Thursday was $9,560.52.

Poliquin's campaign is responsible for the additional amount.

Poliquin ceased the recount on Dec. 14 after 165,000 of the 296,000 2nd District ballots had already been recounted by hand, according to the office.

"The recount process has confirmed, and re-affirmed, an important fact: I won the largest number of votes on Election Day. In fact, our volunteer and leadership team overseeing the recount reports my Election Day total has increased and I now hold over 2,200 more votes than my closest opponent," Poliquin wrote in a Facebook post that day. "Although we continue to evaluate the legal process and the need for an Appeal on the Constitutionality of rank voting, due to the impending Holidays, I believe it’s important to end the recount process."

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