MADISON, Wis. (AP) --A Wisconsin judge has refused to order local officials to conduct the state's presidential recount by hand.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein requested the recount last week. She alleged -- without evidence -- that the state's voting equipment may have been hacked.

The state Elections Commission has ordered the recount to begin Thursday but rejected Stein's request that county clerks conduct the recount entirely by hand. Stein filed a lawsuit seeking an order for a statewide hand recount.

Stein's attorneys argued during a hearing Tuesday evening that the best way to determine if a cyberattack occurred is to check ballots by hand against electronic tabulations from Election Day. State lawyers countered there's no evidence to suggest any attack took place.

Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn refused to issue the order, saying Stein's team failed to show any mistakes or irregularities that would bring a machine recount into question.

Copyright 2016: Associated Press

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin's chief elections administrator is defending the state's voting systems in the face of Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein's lawsuit demanding a hand recount.

Stein has asked for a recount to see if Wisconsin's voting equipment was hacked. That recount is set to begin Thursday. She has filed a lawsuit to force county clerks to conduct the recount by hand.

State attorneys worked during a hearing Tuesday evening to show Stein's campaign has no evidence of any problems requiring a hand recount.

Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Mike Haas testified that the state's voting tabulating equipment is federally certified and field tested for accuracy. He said he's not aware of anyone gaining unauthorized access to any equipment anywhere in the state. He added he's confident the equipment is secure.

Copyright 2016: Associated Press

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A judge has allowed Hillary Clinton to join Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein's lawsuit seeking a hand recount in Wisconsin.

Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn granted a request from Clinton's attorneys to join the lawsuit without comment during a hearing Tuesday afternoon. Clinton's team had argued she has a stake in the recount and manual counting is the most transparent method for the public.

Donald Trump beat Clinton by about 22,000 votes in Wisconsin. The recount will start Thursday if Stein or De La Fuente or both meet a Tuesday deadline to pay the $3.5 million cost.

The state Elections Commission is preparing to launch the recount at Stein's request on Thursday. The commission has denied her request to run the recount entirely by hand, prompting Stein to sue.

Copyright 2016: Associated Press