The state Supreme Court today set a deadline of noon on Sept. 8 for a lower court to decide if a wider recount is need in the the Democratic primary for Attorney General.

On Monday, Margaret Donnelly filed suit in Circuit Court, seeking a new tally of every Democratic vote for Attorney General — including provisional and absentee ballots that had been disqualified by local election officials.

Donnelly lost the Democratic AG primary this month to Chris Koster by about 780 votes out of roughly 346,000 votes cast. Koster’s victory percentage, if it stands, is 0.2 percent.

The law firm representing Donnelly says that the race is so close that if just one vote goes Donnelly’s way in a quarter of the state’s precincts, it could swing the race for Donnelly.

It’s important to note that the Supreme Court’s instructions, issued in a letter to the attorneys, applies only to the question if their should be a broader recount; not the actual recount, which, if allowed to move forward, could take weeks.