The Fifth District congressional race between 12-year incumbent Virgil Goode and challenger Tom Perriello could be headed to a recount.

With all 307 precincts reporting, the Virginia State Board of Elections gives Goode the edge, with 157,421 votes compared to Perriello's 156,975, a difference of 446 votes.

Before the final precinct, a traditionally Goode-supporting area of Lunenburg County, was counted, Goode issued this statement by press release: "With all but one reliably Republican precinct reporting, the State Board of Elections is reporting that I am leading my opponent by more than 300 votes.  We have scrubbed the numbers and confirmed them with local officials and I am confident that after today's canvassing by the individual registrars' office this lead will be sustained.  It has been a long, hard-fought campaign and I feel good about where we are right now."

By law, in Virginia, there are no automatic recounts.

According to the Board of Elections, "only an apparent losing candidate can ask for a recount, and only if the difference between the apparent winning and that apparent losing candidates is 1 percent or less of the total votes cast for those two candidates. The apparent loser cannot request a recount until after the election is certified."

The results won't be certified until November 24, at which point the apparant losing candidate has 10 days to ask for a recount.

Because the difference is within half of a percentage point, Perriello won't have to repay recount costs if he still is determined the loser.