Less than a month before the Nov. 2 election, Pennsylvania adopted a law Friday ensuring that the commonwealth would automatically conduct a recount in the event of a close vote.

The recount would take place if the margin of difference between two candidates is less than half of a percentage point.

The law came into effect rapidly so that a recount could take place, if necessary, said Abe Amoros, spokesman for Gov. Ed Rendell. The automatic recount bill was passed by legislators Wednesday and became law when Rendell signed it Friday afternoon.

"[A recount] is probably a good idea, especially in an election this close," Matthew Ward (senior-psychology) said. "Every vote has to count or things could get ugly."

Amoros said Rendell wanted to do "everything possible" to ensure a smooth election and avoid a situation similar to the one in Florida, following the 2000 presidential election.

"I think that it is a very thoughtful idea to enact a law that ensures a timely and pre-planned recount," Patrick Ford (junior-biological engineering) said. "This way, when an election results in a winning margin of less than 0.5 percent, the voting public can rest assured that a recount will verify the results, and that the recount will have been legalized beforehand."

Before last week, a recount could only be conducted if a candidate questioned the election's outcome, and any recount would be that candidate's financial responsibility.

"I think the [recount] will help," Rep. Lynn Herman, R-Centre, said last month while the bill was being discussed. "Every registered voter should be able to cast a vote in our free and fair electoral process ... Every vote should count and people need to have confidence in the results of the election," he added.

Glenn Thompson, Centre County Republicans chair, said he supports the automatic recount.

"Putting processes in place to make sure the election is accountable ahead of time is an excellent idea," he said.

However, the automatic recount has left some students with questions.

"What will [the commonwealth] do if the new count conflicts with the original? Count them again?" Holly Travaglini (junior-microbiology) asked.

"I don't think it would swing the actual outcome either way, but it would give the people more confidence in the 'winner' being the person they actually chose," she said.