Pa Sen. Race: Timeline for Oz, McCormick recount

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate primary election has come and gone, but a winner has yet to be projected for the Republican race with Mehmet Oz and Dave McCormick within less than a thousand votes of each other.

With more than 1.2 million votes cast, Oz and McCormick traded places back and forth atop the vote count on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. A week out of the election a recount was ordered with Oz leading by less than 1,000 votes. On Tuesday, May 31, the recount must officially begin in each county.

Trailing in a distant third place in the seven-person GOP primary field was conservative activist Kathy Barnette.

The unofficial count ended with counties reporting their numbers by May 24 and the Acting Secretary of State announced recount has been triggered by Pennsylvania’s law.

The unofficial count revealed that the margin between Oz and McCormick remains inside 0.5%, and the recount process will begin. According to Jonathan Marks, Deputy Secretary for Elections and Commissions, all six defeated candidates had the opportunity to unanimously waive the recount altogether.

All of the candidates did not waive the recount, meaning the process moves forward beginning June 1 and coming to an end six days later on June 7 with the announcement of a winner on June 8 at the latest.

Recount process timeline:

• May 26 – Recount must be ordered by the Department of State by this date
• June 1 – Recount must start by June 1
• June 7 – Recount must be complete
• June 8 – Department of State announces a winner of the party nomination

“I think it is important to remind folks that this is a process. It’s a process, it’s unofficial and all of these mechanisms are in place to protect the rights of voters and the rights of candidates, as well,” Marks emphasized.

According to Marks, the recount could cost Pennsylvania taxpayers $1 million.

To see results according to Associated Press, click here.