Posted on 11/25/2016 4:32:23 PM PST by SeekAndFind
The Wisconsin Elections Commission announced Friday that it would hold a statewide recount of the presidential vote. The move was in response to petitions from two candidates, the Green Party's Jill Stein and independent Rocky Roque De La Fuente.
Federal law requires that all recounts be finished 35 days after the election, which is Dec. 13. One or both of the candidates will be required to pay for the recount.
"We have assembled an internal team to direct the recount, we have been in close consultation with our county clerk partners, and have arranged for legal representation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice," said Wisconsin Elections Commission Director Mike Haas in a statement.
"We plan to hold a teleconference meeting for county clerks next week and anticipate the recount will begin late in the week after the Stein campaign has paid the recount fee, which we are still calculating."
Haas added that the process is very detail-oriented and he is concerned that some counties will be challenged to finish on time. In a recount, ballots must be examined to determine voter intent before being counted.
Stein has been leading the effort to force general election recounts in certain swing states. Her effort continues to gain steam — and money.
On Wednesday she announced she would demand recounts in three states: Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. President-elect Donald Trump narrowly won Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and Michigan is still too close to call.
To cover the cost of the recounts, Stein launched a fundraising campaign, which has raised more than $5 million in less than three days.
Stein's fundraiser website explicitly says the campaign is not an effort to help Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, but to "ensure the integrity of our elections." Clinton has not commented on the efforts.
The deadline to file for a recount in Pennsylvania is Monday and Michigan's is Wednesday.
Before the announcement was made, Haas called a potential recount "uncharted territory," according to Laurel White with Wisconsin Public Radio. White reported:
"State law allows any candidate on the ballot to request a recount, but if the margin is more than 0.25 percent, the candidate must pay for its cost. "Haas said the recount would cost at least $500,000. "The commission is reviewing state law to determine when that money would be due.
" 'There's a little bit of ambiguity in the statutes,' Haas said. 'In one place, it states that the fee must be paid at the time the petition is filed; another statute indicates once the petition is filed, that's when our agency calculates an estimate.'
"Once a recount order is issued by the commission, clerks across the state have 13 days to complete it, Haas said."
Stein initially set a fundraising goal of $2.5 million. As donations started pouring in, that goal jumped to $4.5 million, as New York Magazine's Yashar Ali pointed out on Twitter.
By Friday, the goal had jumped again, to $7 million. The campaign says that will go to cover filing fees, attorney fees and other associated costs.
Donations are still rolling in, but as Stein's fundraising website states, money doesn't necessarily mean the recounts are assured: "We cannot guarantee a recount will happen in any of these states we are targeting. We can only pledge we will demand recounts in those states."
If the recounts don't happen, what will become of all that money? Stein's website says any "surplus will also go toward election integrity efforts and to promote voting system reform." It did not specify what those efforts would be.
As NPR's Camila Domonoske told the Newscast unit, "Some security and election experts have publicly called for paper ballots to be checked in Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan, to make sure that the computers that counted those ballots weren't hacked." But, she says, "There's no evidence that the electronic machines were hacked or the election was compromised."
[In a recount, ballots must be examined to determine voter intent before being counted.]
This how Gore planned to upset the 2000 Florida results: examining each ballot and contesting its “intent.”
So if I believe democrats are liars and thieves and will do what ever takes to change election results I am a insufferable hand wringer?
Agreed, they know the results before putting this into action. Trump’s team isn’t’ taking this seriously; they should, rigging is going on and they have a plan to try and deny him the Presidency (Even if it doesn’t work they are working on it)
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wow, a good thing that keyboard warriors like you are all over this; Trump just doesn’t have a clue what’s going on /sarc
Why don’t you go get a nice warm glass of milk and go to bed; your concern is duly noted.
So if I believe democrats are liars and thieves and will do what ever takes to change election results I am a insufferable hand wringer?
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You need to grow a pair.
It’s pocket change for Soros, whose bot filled Stein’s coffers in two days.
I have a VERY BAD feeling that come January, Hitlery will be standing there taking the oath.
TRUMP had better get on top of this FAST and stop this nonsense.
Michigan has paper ballots and already did a recount. PA no chance from word on the ground there.. this is just bullshit to cause trouble.Stein is deep in debt and she sold out to the Clintons ..very sad but this is mostly about dollars for her
They are more annoying than the libs.
The same morons that swore “massive voting fraud” would steal every state in the union.
Of course they are aware of it. I said they weren’t taking it seriously. They probably assume the Green Party is just fund raising. Do they really think the Clinton’s are behind this? If they did then I think someone would be taking control of the narrative.
Does anybody know is down ballot races are recounted too? Probably not, but I would laugh my ass off if some Democrat had a victory reversed as a result of this.
I thought recounts were only allowed if the difference was within a certain margin of error.
They are going to steal this ... just you watch and see.
I have a VERY BAD feeling that come January, Hitlery will be standing there taking the oath.
TRUMP had better get on top of this FAST and stop this nonsense.
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Oh why don’t you get a grip you freaking pu$$y! Trump is very aware of what’s going on.
The only bad feeling I have is that FR is infested with bed wetter’s like you. Take a deep breath and relax!!
Now that the communists know exactly how many fake ballots they need to make it appear that Clinton’s bitch won, winning Wisconsin should be a snap for the old bitch. Crooked Clintoon strikes again.
Hillary will not be standing there come January. You require the consent of the governed and she will not have it. Part of the reason why surrogates always call him President-Elect Trump (Get the country used to the idea).
So anybody who meets the deadline and can pay for a recount in Wisconsin automatically gets it? No evidence of fraud, no standing, no damage needed? Great system. ......
I said they weren’t taking it seriously.
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Please back this statement up with facts, and not your pathetic conjecture? Come on, prove to us how you know they’re not taking it seriously? Sorry, but I trust more than a keyboard warrior like you.
Come on, please provide us facts to back up your assertion???
“They are going to steal this ... just you watch and see.”
Let me guess, you are one of those guys sure they were going to rig voting machines in Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Iowa a few weeks ago, huh?
The truth is that you read too many conspiracy theory sites, and seriously need to learn to use tinfoil for food instead of headgear.
Trump is a master....I’m sure he’s got good people on this....and I hope that when they need volunteer watchers, plenty of Trumpsters will gladly abide...
Just like the Bush team was aware that Dan Rather was forging documents. Pfft
I thought I heard it said that the results in PA can’t be challenged because the difference was too great.
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