Close Florida congressional races could trigger automatic recounts; no runoffs required

Several closely contested congressional races in Florida could face automatic recounts as election officials review results from Tuesday's midterm elections. Under Florida law, a machine recount is required when unofficial results show a candidate trailing by one-half of one percentage point or less.Florida does not require runoff elections in November general elections for U.S. House or Senate seats when no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. Instead, the state's plurality system awards the seat to the candidate who receives the most votes, even without a majority.When is a recount required?The Florida Department of State oversees recount procedures for federal races. The Secretary of State orders recounts in congressional, statewide and multicounty contests. Candidates and political committees cannot independently order or demand a recount.If a machine recount narrows the margin to one-quarter of one percentage point or less, a manual recount is generally required, subject