2016

The Green Party’s recount campaign failed to change the election results

Only one of three states got a recount.

2016

The recount is basically over

The Green Party has largely concluded its campaign for a vote recount in three states.
Michigan's recount started but was halted in court. Pennsylvania did not do a recount.
Donald Trump picked up an additional 131 votes after a Wisconsin recount.
2016

The Green Party’s recount campaign failed to change the election results

Only one of three states got a recount.

The Green Party-led effort to recount votes in three states where the presidential vote was especially close did not make a difference in the election results.

Only one of the three states finished its recount: Wisconsin, where Trump picked up a net 131 votes.

Michigan started a recount but was halted about 40 percent of the way through after a judge denied former presidential candidate Jill Stein's right to a recount, saying she had no chance of winning. Pennsylvania rejected the recount petition outright.

Today, Dec. 13, was the deadline for states to certify results.

Unsurprisingly, the Green Party is dissatisfied that two of the recounts did not take place. But it's expanded its critique to other aspects of the recount system. In Wisconsin, for example, the party said the cost of a recount was too high. The state initially said that the recount would cost $1.1 million but adjusted it to $3.5 million. The state also refused to validate votes against paper ballots, the "gold standard" requested by the Green Party.

On a call today, Stein said the campaign showed "what a mess we have" and solidified the need for fair and accurate vote auditing. For one thing, Michigan will be auditing 20 precincts because of errors uncovered during the aborted recount.

The party is also proceeding with a lawsuit in federal court to challenge what the group called "an unworkable election recount regime" in Pennsylvania.

"The recount has shown the light on that and has really lifted up the call for a voting system we can trust," she said on a press call Tuesday. "It’s not rocket science how to fix this. This is basic democracy.”