WI Recount

For the latest updates regarding the 2016 recount and related election protection and voting justice efforts, please go to VotingJustice.us

Recount 2016 budget update 2/20/17

As part of our commitment to transparency around recount fundraising and budgeting, the Recount 2016 team has prepared a recount budget update detailing expenses as of 2/20/17:

Total amount raised: $7,129,524 Attorney’s fees:	$2,142,400
Filing fees:	$4,473,130* (before WI Refund)
Media:	$292,834
Staff support:	$206,791
Recount observer costs:	$106,791
Travel:	$16,278
Compliance reserve:	$150,000
*WI Filing Fee Refund: $1,494,085.91
Remaining balance: $1,235,385.91

*$1.49 million has been refunded from the states back to the recount campaign to date, with additional refunds still possible. All refunds are currently being set aside to pay for continuing recount legal action and related costs. Once the court case(s) have been complete, any remaining funds will be distributed to voting justice initiatives as determined by a ranked choice vote by the donors.

For Immediate Release: Monday, December 12, 2016

Dr. Jill Stein Responds to Wisconsin Completing Statewide Recount

The below statement can be attributed to Dr. Jill Stein:

“With the recount finished in Wisconsin, we applaud the countless workers and observers who helped ensure a full recount throughout the state. We however remain disappointed that not all counties conducted a full hand recount, which is considered the “gold standard.” While we were able to beat back efforts by Trump and the GOP to stop the recount, the refusal by some of the largest and most important counties in the state to conduct a hand recount, undermined the ability to get an accurate recount. In fact, Milwaukee County, the largest and the most socio-economically, racially and ethnically diverse county in the state, declined a hand recount, and given the discoveries in Michigan, it is imperative to examine if voters in that county encountered machine errors, manipulations and voter issues on Election Day.

Read more

As of Saturday December 10, all counties have finished their recounts. Many counties have filed their official minutes with the state, and there is no reason to doubt that the recount will be complete by the deadline of Monday December 12.

Dr. Jill Stein, the 2016 Green Party candidate for President, filed a recount petition in the state of Wisconsin on November 25, requesting that a statewide recount be conducted by hand. Stein’s campaign is the first-ever multi-state recount following a presidential election, after heightened concern from election experts and across all political parties over hacking and voting irregularities.

Overview of Voting in Wisconsin

Voting in 60 Wisconsin counties is done through optical scan ballots, which are vulnerable to problems and errors. Computer scientists regularly warn about the vulnerabilities of these machines, including that they can be breached without detection and are prone to errors, such as a tendency to misread markings made by voters.
Voting in 12 percent of Wisconsin counties is done through Direct Record Electronic (DRE) touch-screen machines with paper records (VVPATs). DREs are susceptible to manipulation and hacking. Many states have banned or are phasing out the use of DRE touch-screen machines over security concerns.

Details on the WI Recount Requests

The Stein campaign filed a recount petition with the Wisconsin Elections Commission on November 25, requesting a full statewide recount by hand.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission – made up of three Democrats and three Republicans – adopted the recount plans unanimously, specifying that the recount would begin Thursday, December 1.
The Stein campaign filed a case in Dane County Circuit Court on November 28 seeking a court order directing that the recount in the state be done exclusively by hand. The Court ruled against the campaign, permitting the counties to choose what method to use for the recount. 47 counties representing 51% of voters opted to do a hand count. The other 25 counties are merely feeding the ballots back into optical scanners. If the campaign wins the court order, officials in each of the state’s 72 counties must recount by hand. If the campaign loses, each CountyClerk will decide on their own whether to do recounts by hand, meaning some counties may perform recounts by machine, feeding the paper ballots through the machines like they did on election day.

What Happens Next

All counties must complete their recounts by 8 p.m. on December 12; the Elections Commission staff must prepare the official recount canvass certification by 3 p.m. on December 13.
Our staff and volunteers are sifting through official minutes and observer reports to create a database of election problems. We will use this information to lobby state legislatures across the country to create elections systems we can trust.

Cost of WI Recount

While the Wisconsin Elections Commission originally told the Stein campaign that the filing fee for a recount in Wisconsin would be approximately $1.1 million, the estimate from the Commission on November 28 was $3.5 million – an extraordinary, completely unexpected increase.
The campaign paid the fee so the recount can move forward, recognizing this number reflects estimates given to Mr. Haas by county clerks. The campaign accepts Mr. Haas’ assurances that if the total costs are not that high, the campaign will receive a refund.
The total cost of the recount in the three states combined will be approximately $7.4 million, which cover required payments to states, lawyers, volunteer recruitment and other technical assistance.
Volunteers can sign up and get more information by sending an email to damianrecount@gmail.com.

Election Day Vote Totals in Wisconsin (Donald Trump leads by 22,177 votes)

Donald J. Trump (R) 1,409,467 (47.9%)

Hillary Clinton (D) 1,382,210 (46.9%)

Gary Johnson (L) 106,442 (3.6%)

Jill Stein (W) 30,980 (1.1%)

1442 votes that were not counted on Election Day have been added due to the recount.