The Wall Street Journal reports Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein on Tuesday paid the Wisconsin Elections Commission the required $3.5 million to initiate a statewide recount, paving the way for an effort to re-examine vote totals across the state, the commission said.
Ms. Stein’s campaign reportedly said it would be asking for an additional $2.4 million from donors to support recount efforts in three states, including Wisconsin, bringing total estimated costs to $9.5 million. The new amount represents the second time that Ms. Stein has increased the amount of money she said will be required for the audits. She originally sought $2.5 million.
Ms. Stein’s campaign initiated recount efforts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania last week after a prominent computer scientist raised hypothetical concerns about the possibility that voting machines were hacked.
Though no evidence exists of any hack, a group of election lawyers and computer scientists encouraged recounts and forensic examinations to conclusively show that the November elections were free of interference, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Having successfully filed and paid for a Wisconsin recount, Ms. Stein plans to do the same in Michigan on Wednesday. Her campaign hit a major roadblock in Pennsylvania, where supporters filed for recounts covering only a fraction of the state. State law requires three voters in each election district to file a complaint.
The only way for a full recount in Pennsylvania now involves a lawsuit in state court, something the effort’s lawyer acknowledged is an uphill battle. A judge on Monday will hear arguments in a case brought by dozens of Pennsylvania voters who argue that the election was conducted illegally.
Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington dismissed the recount effort, which Ms. Stein insists isn’t aimed at swinging the election results.
