Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin has requested a recount in Maine's historic election in which his Democratic opponent won, thanks to ranked balloting.
The recount, formally requested by Poliquin on Monday, is expected to take about a month, meaning there will be a race to ensure it's completed before Democrat Jared Golden is seated on Jan. 3.
Officials say the recount will be more laborious than a traditional election because candidates are ranked on the ballots. State Police will be tasked with collecting, delivering and guarding the ballots.
Poliquin had the most first-round votes on Election Day but his lead didn't hold up after an additional round under ranked-choice voting.
Golden emerged victorious after two trailing candidates were eliminated and their supporters' second-choices were reallocated.
