Updated 2:22pm
Colorado’s Secretary of State’s office has ordered a mandatory recount of the election results between Republican Lauren Boebert and Democrat Adam Frisch in the 3rd congressional district race.
The recount is required by state law. While Boebert proclaimed victory and Frisch conceded the race 10 days after Election Day, there are currently 550 votes separating the two. That translates to a 0.34 percent vote differential. State statute requires a mandatory recount when a race is within 0.5 percent.
“The results of the District 3 race reinforce the fact that every vote matters,” said Secretary of State Jena Griswold in a statement. “Colorado voters have made their voices heard, and I am ordering this recount in accordance with Colorado law to confirm the will of the voters.”
All 27 counties within the sprawling district will work with bipartisan canvass boards to test tabulation equipment and then recount all ballots in the same way they were counted during the election.
In a statement today, Frisch noted the recount is mandatory and said it “is one of the measures that protects and helps ensure the sanctity of Colorado elections and the decision to conduct a recount is (rightfully so) not influenced by any campaign or candidate.”
The recount, which must be completed by Dec. 13, as required by law, is not expected to change the outcome of the race. Recent recounts have shifted no more than a handle of votes.
That conclusion was the reason Frisch conceded the race on Nov. 18, saying it would be unethical for his campaign to continue accepting money from supporters. “Please save your money for your groceries, your rent, your children, and for other important causes in organizations,” he said that day.
Frisch said his concession last month “remains sincere but has no legal implication — under no circumstances did I want it to stop (which it legally cannot) this recount of votes."
Still, the Colorado Republican Party blamed Frisch for the recount and not state law. Chairwoman Kristi Burton Brown has called on Frisch to withdraw from the race that ended last month.
“He has the unilateral power to prevent wasting Colorado taxpayer money on a frivolous recount if he would just do the honorable thing and withdraw from the race,” she said in a statement.
The closeness of the race surprised many after redistricting solidified the district’s red lean, with a 9-point advantage for Republicans.
Frisch has filed paperwork to run again in 2024.
More 3rd Congressional District coverage:
- Read our full November 2022 interview with Adam Frisch. He talked about ballot curing, voter turnout and whether he’s "Democratic enough."
- Efforts from both parties to reach voters who needed to cure their uncounted ballots quickly ramped up. Some voters felt like all the calls, emails and even door-knocking bordered on harassment, while others were pleased to be at the center of things.
- Who made Lauren Boebert’s reelection so tough? It wasn’t the result of a tsunami of Democratic voters. In the 3rd Congressional district, Democrats were about 3% less likely to vote than Republicans.
- The razor-thin margin between Boebert and Frisch had many Colorado politicos questioning how exactly the race ended up so close. Many, people, even Republicans, hope her second term will look different.
