The Wisconsin Elections Commission has agreed on a ballot recount of nearly 3 million votes in the state’s presidential election but rejected a Green Party request ordering a hand recount, according to Russia’s news agency RT.
“It is a matter of looking at the ballot and tabulators agreeing on either a hand count to agree what the vote is or examining the ballot and putting it back into the voting equipment,” said Mike Hass, Wisconsin Elections Commission said on Monday during a press conference.
Hass said before that happens a series of steps have to happen first including reconciling election materials like poll lists and absentee ballot materials.
If Green Party candidate Jill Stein or Independent candidate Rocky De Le Fuente doesn’t pay the full costs by Tuesday, no recount will be ordered.
The Commission estimated the recount will take five to six days with many counties expected to be finished in a week, with the more populous ones taking longer. Federal law requires the recount to be completed by December 13.
FoxNews says Wisconsin law calls for the state to perform a recount at a candidate's request as long as he or she can pay for it. The state has never performed a presidential recount. Election officials reportedly estimate the effort will cost up to $1 million.
However, Stein is also seeking recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
She has reportedly raised $6.2 million toward her goal of $7 million and made her official request in Wisconsin on November 25.
Meanwhile, USA Today reports that unless Stein wins her lawsuit in Dane County Circuit Court, officials in each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties would decide on their own whether to do their recounts of the 2.98 million statewide votes by machine or by hand, with dozens of counties expected to hand count the paper ballots.
