The Wisconsin Election Commission had to grant the request under state law but refused another Stein request that the commission order all county clerks to recount the votes by hand, leaving it up to the counties to decide how to conduct the process.
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President-elect Donald Trump won MI by a razor-thin margin, defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton there by just 10,704 votes (out of a total 4.8 million cast).
Stein’s request was denied when the Dane Country judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn said counties would have the final say on whether to count by hand or machine.
For Pennsylvania, it’s a bit trickier, as the state has different rules.
Byrum says she’s planning to hire at least 50 people to hand count the more than 100,000 ballots cast in Ingham County.
How much will it cost? There are 6,300 precincts across the state, meaning a statewide recount would cost $787,500. The campaign said it intends to pay all fees associated with the recount in MI, and is now recruiting volunteers to observe the hand recounts that are likely to take place in 19 sites, representing all 83 counties across the state. If the recount is not blocked by challenges, elections officials could begin the task of hand counting more than 4 million ballots as soon as Friday. In every election since 1964, the majority of county votes have gone to the eventual victor.
Neither state has a mandatory recount for close elections though one can be requested.
Armstrong added the recount in Branch County will take place in the courthouse annex conference room.
On Wednesday, the commission staff will explain the process to all county clerks and canvass members taking part in the recount.
“Michigan has this very high level of under votes that is blank ballots”.
So Trump can contest the recount?
The Michigan Secretary of State sent out the following tweet on the matter this afternoon. Wisconsin is the first of a possible three states to issue a recount. Hollinrake is considering holding the recount at the Wyoming Public Safety headquarters on De Hoop Avenue SW.
Will a recount change the outcome? In the three states that Stein hopes to get a recount, Trump beat Clinton by more than 10,000 votes, which is a margin that a recount is unlikely to reverse.
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The blank votes occurred in an election in which both President-elect Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton had record unfavorable opinions in pre-election polls for The Detroit News. In 2004, the Green Party did succeed in obtaining a recount in OH in the presidential race.
