As expected, Virgil Goode did not go gently into that good night. Down 745 votes to his Democratic challenger Tom Perriello, Goode filed paperwork last week in Albemarle County Circuit Court (the home of his opponent, as required by federal law) and set in motion the recount process for the Fifth District Congressional race.
Goode released a statement about his reasoning: “In an election this close—with less than one-quarter of one percent separating the two candidates, and with literally thousands of vote changes taking place during the post-election canvass process—a recount is an important protection for voters.”
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Congressman Virgil Goode is left hoping for major clerical errors in the election’s tabulation to make up the 745-vote gap with Tom Perriello. |
A recount court of three judges will convene in the next few weeks to begin the process. During the recount, Democrats and Republicans will be able to put observers in place to oversee the retabulations that will take place across the district.
If history is a guide, the recount is unlikely to alter the election’s outcome. In 2005, a recount in the state attorney general race actually increased the lead of winner Bob McDonnell by 32 votes. It concluded December 21, 43 days after election day.
The prospect of a recount didn’t deter presumed Congressman Perriello from attending freshman orientation in Congress, or from holding parties in the District to thank donors and volunteers.
While the recount could hold Perriello back in some ways, it has at least one perk: a better office. Rather than enter the office lottery with other freshmen congressman, Perriello will take the office of six-term Republican incumbent Goode if the recount doesn’t change the outcome.
It’s unclear how much the recount will cost, though the price will be borne by the state and each of the localities in the Fifth District.
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