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6/18/2025
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Lawmakers approve bill to extend deadline for candidates to request a recount
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STATE HOUSE — The General Assembly today approved a bill from Rep. Jennifer Boylan and Sen. Pamela J. Lauria to extend the deadline for candidates to request a recount so that all overseas ballots are counted before the deadline passes. The bill now goes to the governor.
“This is a seemingly small tweak, but we saw in Barrington last year that overseas mail ballots can make the difference in a close race, and close races are the ones that warrant recounts. Overseas ballots count just as much as any other, and they should be tallied before candidates run out of time to request a recount,” said Senator Lauria (D-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence).
“Extending the deadline is a simple fix that will impact very few elections but will ensure that candidates who trail in close elections have an opportunity to request a recount,” said Representative Boylan (D-Dist. 66, Barrington, East Providence). “Just last year in our hometown of Barrington, we had a vivid reminder that the deadline for all ballots to be received and recorded does not match up with the deadline for a losing candidate to request a recount. Thankfully, due to the generosity of one of the candidates, a recount still proceeded, giving our community peace of mind concerning the outcome of a very close election. This bill makes sure that the assurance of a recount won’t be left up to chance in future close elections.”
The legislation (2025-H 5384, 2025-S 0541) extends the deadline to request a recount from seven to nine days to allow candidates to know the vote totals after all military and overseas ballots are counted before they must choose whether to request a recount.
Under current state law, a candidate has seven days after Election Day to request a recount from the State Board of Elections. However, military and overseas ballots are still tallied if they are received by 4 p.m. on the same day as the deadline. As the election of Councilor Jordan Jancosek to the Barrington Town Council showed last year, this means a candidate might not know they are trailing until it is too late to request a recount.
Councilor Jancosek requested a recount during the seven-day window, at the end of which she trailed candidate Brian Hughes by 10 votes. The next day, when all the military and overseas ballots were tabulated, she led Hughes by nine votes. Because the deadline to request a recount had then passed, she could have withdrawn her request and Hughes would have been unable to request a recount.
Councilor Jancosek chose not to rescind her request and was ultimately confirmed as the winner by 11 votes in the recount.
“This is a great first step toward establishing a more equitable recount process,” said Councilor Jancosek. It is my hope that the fine-tuning of this process will continue in the future, working with the Rhode Island Board of Elections to create a more reasonable and fair process for candidates for office in close elections.”
Said Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore, “The right to request a recount is an important part of our election processes, and we should ensure that all votes are tabulated before the recount request deadline so candidates have as much time and information as possible to decide whether or not to make a request.”
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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