Pennsylvania Recount 2016 – Fact Sheet

Dr. Jill Stein, the 2016 Green Party candidate for President, announced on Monday, Nov. 28 that recount requests were filed by Pennsylvanian voters in more than 260 precincts across the state, with many more precincts expected in the coming days. Stein’s campaign is the first-ever multi-state recount following a presidential election, amid heightened concern from election experts of hacking and voting irregularities.

Details on Voting in Pennsylvania

Approximately two-thirds of voting in PA is done through Direct Record Electronic (DRE) touch-screenmachines, which are susceptible to manipulation and hacking. In fact, many states have banned or are phasing out the use of DRE touch-screen machines over security concerns.





Approximately one-third of voting in PA is done through optical scan ballots, which are vulnerable toproblems 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, including a tendency to misread markings made by voters.





Pennsylvania is one of a handful of states that relies on DRE machines with no paper ballot or receipt, making a close vote total in the state a “nightmare scenario,” according to voting machine expert Lawrence Norden.

Details on the Recount Requests

Pennsylvania is the only state of the three in which candidates cannot file direct recount requests, leaving two paths for a statewide audit:

The campaign has filed suit in Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court on Monday asking for a statewide recount, citing potential errors, tampering and hacking of the election





The campaign has mobilized concerned voters in more than 100 precincts to request recounts, with requests for recounts in many more precincts expected in the coming days. Pennsylvania state law requiring three voters in each precinct to submit an affidavit requesting a recount for that precinct

What Happens Next

The Stein campaign is seeking:

A full hand recount of the votes cast using opti-scan machines (1/3 of counties)





For votes cast by DREs, County Boards should conduct “forensic analyses” led by cyber -security experts and computer scientists – looking inside the software in the machines to look for evidence of tampering or voting manipulation





The recount in precincts where affidavits were filed could start as early as November 30.

Cost of Recount

The total cost of the recount in the three states combined will be approximately $9.5 million, given the unexpected fee increase in Wisconsin from $1.1 to $3.5 million. The money will cover required payments to states, lawyers, volunteer recruitment and other technical assistance.





The expected filing fee for a recount in Pennsylvania is approximately $500,000, a function of state law.





The Stein campaign is seeking volunteers to observe the recount in various counties in Pennsylvania; volunteers can sign up and get more information on www.Jill2016.com/recountPA

Current PA Vote Total (Donald Trump leads by 70,638 votes)

Donald J. Trump (R) 2,936,118 (48.81%)

Hillary Clinton (D) 2,864,805 (47.62%)

Gary Johnson (L) 144,189 (2.40%)

Jill Stein (W) 49,182 (.82%)

Wisconsin Recount 2016 – Fact Sheet

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.

Details on Voting in Wisconsin

Voting in 90 percent of Wisconsin counties is done through optical scan ballots, which are vulnerable toproblems 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 10 percent of Wisconsin counties is done through Direct Record Electronic (DRE) touch-screenmachines 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. 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.

In Wisconsin, each of the 72 counties is divided into wards, which will lead individual recount efforts. The ward-led recounts are open to the public, and anyone observing can object or contest.

What Happens Next

On Wednesday, November 30, Elections Commission staff will hold a teleconference in the morning for all county clerks and canvass board members to outline the process and rules of a recount.





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.

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 will pay 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 $9.5 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.

Current 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%)

Michigan Recount 2016 – Fact Sheet

Dr. Jill Stein, the 2016 Green Party candidate for President, has announced that she will request a full hand recount in the state of Michigan on Wednesday, November 30. 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.

Details on Voting in Michigan

All voting in Michigan is done through optical scan ballots, which are prone to problems and errors.





Computer scientists regularly warn about the vulnerabilities of these machines, including that they can be breached without detection and have a tendency to misread markings made by voters. In Michigan, for instance, there were 75,335 under-count tallies – meaning votes that the machines did not record as selecting anyone for president.





On November 28, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers certified that Donald Trump won the race by a 10,704-vote margin (or a .22 percent of the total vote), awarding Trump the state’s 16 electoral votes.

Details on the MI Recount Requests

The Board’s certification starts a 48-hour window for the Stein campaign to seek a recount.





The campaign has said it will file a petition with the Board of State Canvassers for a manual hand recount of all votes cast in the election in Michigan before the 2 pm deadline on November 30.





On November 28, the Board of State Canvassers authorized the director of the Michigan Bureau of Elections, Chris Thomas, to conduct a manual recount pending any request by a candidate.





Plans are currently underway by Thomas and county and municipal clerks throughout the state in anticipation of Dr. Stein’s request for a recount.

What Happens Next

Once the Stein campaign files a request, a recount could start as soon as Friday, according to Thomas.





The process, however, allows an opposing candidate seven days to file written objections to the recount petition. In the event of an objection, the Board of State Canvassers would hold a hearing on and issue a ruling within five days of the hearing.





Objections will stop the recount until the Board of State Canvassers resolves them (if resolved, the recount would restart after the second business day following the decision).

Cost of Michigan Recount

The total cost of the recount in the three states combined will be approximately $9.5 million, given the unexpected fee increase in Wisconsin from $1.1 to $3.5 million. The money will cover required payments to states, lawyers, volunteer recruitment and other technical assistance.





The filing fee for a recount in Michigan is $973,250.





The Stein campaign is currently recruiting volunteers to observe the hand recount that would take place in 19 sites where the votes were cast. Volunteers can sign up and get more information on http://www.Jill2016.com/recountMI.

Current MI Vote Total as of November 28 (Donald Trump leads by 10,704 votes)

Donald J. Trump (R) 2,279,543 (47.6%)

Hillary Clinton (D) 2,268,839 (47.3%)

Gary Johnson (L) 172,136 (3.6%)

Jill Stein (G) 51,463 (1.1%)