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Trump contesting election results possible, but complex

WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (KUNA) -- If the election results on November 8 are in Hillary Clinton's favor, Donald Trump can legally contest the results - as he pledged he would - but the process would be very lengthy, and very costly, because it has to be done on a state-by-state basis.
History also shows it would be unprecedented for a candidate to demand changes because he does not personally approve of the results. American elections are decentralized, and each state is obligated to oversee and announce its own numbers on election night. Typically, if there is less than a 0.5 percent margin between candidates, some states will start a recount anyway. But every state has its own set of election laws. Trump's comments have suggested he will contest the results regardless of the margin by which he loses, particularly as he continues to insist that the election is being "rigged". This would be a massive and expensive undertaking, as the Trump campaign would have to go through a special judicial process in each state where it disagrees with the results, while the Democratic party pours funds into defending its win. The final word goes to the state supreme courts, but should further issues arise, the Congress is obligated to choose the next president by a vote held at its January 6, 2017 meeting. Trump's remarks Thursday that he would only accept the election outcome "If I win" has alarmed lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and threatened what American democracy has prided itself on: the peaceful transition of power.
"I don't know who's going to win the presidential election. I do know that in every previous election, the loser congratulates the winner and calls them, 'my president,' " Arizona Senator and 2008 presidential candidate John McCain said in a statement. "That's not just the Republican way or the Democratic way. It's the American way." President Barack Obama, meanwhile, called the real estate mogul's rhetoric "dangerous" while on the campaign trail with Clinton in Florida.
"When you suggest rigging or fraud without a shred of evidence that is not a joking matter... that undermines our democracy," he told the crowd. A NBC News/Survey Monkey poll of 6,000 likely voters released Friday shows 45 percent of Republicans will not accept the results of the election if their candidate loses, while only 16 percent of Democrats would do the same. (end) ys.rk