Wisconsin receives Stein and Del La Fuente recount petitions

The Wisconsin Elections Commission has received a vote recount petition from Green Party’s Jill Stein, now running a fundraising campaign to cover recount costs in three swing states. Reform Party USA’s Rocky de la Fuente also filed a similar petition.

“The Commission is preparing to move forward with a statewide recount of votes for President of the United States, as requested by these candidates,” Administrator Michael Haas said in a statement.

The Elections Commission has assembled an internal team to direct the recount and arranged for legal representation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Haas said.

“We plan to hold a teleconference meeting for county clerks next week and anticipate the recount will begin late in the week after the Stein campaign has paid the recount fee, which we are still calculating,” he added.

Stein is running a fundraising campaign to collect $7 million, which would cover recount costs in three swing states of  Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. The deadline to file recount petitions in Pennsylvania is Monday, while Wednesday is the last day to do so in Michigan.

Stein received  31,006 votes across Wisconsin’s 72 counties. In her petition, she requested “a hand recount of all ballots in all wards in the State of Wisconsin,” alleging “evidence of voter irregularities” and “widespread breach.”

The Electoral Commission has also received a similar recount petition Reform Party USA’s Rocky de la Fuente has filed a similar recount as he received 1,514 votes.

De La Fuente wrote in his petition that “a mistake or fraud” was committed “in the counting and return of votes cast.”

The state is going to complete the recount within a federal deadline of December 13, Haas said, stressing that the process is very “detail-oriented” and that such limited time “will certainly challenge some counties.”

Stein has addressed her supporters on Facebook, asking them  or anyone they know living in the state “to consider volunteering to help in the recount process.”

Meanwhile, donations to Stein keep rolling in; she has surpassed $5.2 million as of Friday evening. After meeting her goal of raising $4.5 million in just over 24 hours, the Green Party’s nominee raised the goal to $7 million.

"We cannot guarantee a recount will happen in any of these states we are targeting. We can only pledge we will demand recounts in those states,” she said.

In case the recounts don't happen, Stein vowed that any "surplus will also go toward election integrity efforts and to promote voting system reform.” However, she did not specify what those efforts would be.