WRN file photo
The results of the presidential election in Wisconsin will get a second look.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission says two campaigns, Green Party nominee Jill Stein and Freedom Party nominee Rocky Roque De La Fuente, both filed petitions Friday asking for a recount. Assuming one of the campaigns is able to cover the cost of the process, it could start as early as next week.
Elections Commission administrator Michael Haas said the state has already assembled an internal team to direct the recount, and they plan to hold a teleconference with county clerks next week. Haas said he currently expects the recount to begin late next week, “after the Stein campaign has paid the recount fee, which we are still calculating.”
Stein’s campaign launched a fundraising campaign earlier this week and says it has collected over $5 million to pay for recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. She is seeking a second check of ballots after concerns were raised about voting anomalies. In Wisconsin, those included areas relying on electronic voting machines where Democrat Hillary Clinton saw a drop in the percentage of the vote she received.
Several experts have urged Clinton’s campaign to pursue a recount herself, after she lost the state to Republican president-elect Donald Trump by about 27,000 votes. Her campaign has not responded to requests for comment.
Haas said Wisconsin faces a December 13 deadline to complete the process. “As a result, county boards of canvassers may need to work evenings and weekends to meet the deadlines,” he said. “The recount process is very detail-oriented, and this deadline will certainly challenge some counties to finish on time.”
Haas said they expect to have more details and a clearer timeline for the process available by Monday.