Recount affirms Trump's Wisconsin victory

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican Donald Trump's victory in Wisconsin has been reaffirmed following a presidential recount that showed him defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton by more than 22,000 votes.

Trump picked up a net 162 votes as a result of the recount that the Wisconsin Elections Commission certified Monday. Green Party candidate Jill Stein requested and paid for the recount that began Dec. 1.

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But after recounting nearly 3 million ballots, little changed. The final results changed by fewer than 1,800 votes.

Stein has also tried to get statewide recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania, but courts have stopped them. The federal deadline to certify the vote is Tuesday.

Wisconsin's recount uncovered no widespread problems or hacking as Stein had suggested, without evidence, that there might be.

Stein responded to the outcome with a statement expressing disappointment that not all counties counted the ballots by hand. She also said the "recount was never about changing the outcome; it was about validating the vote and restoring confidence in our voting system." 

 

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.