Wisconsin’s presidential election recount costs will come in almost $2 million less than expected with only one county left to settle its bill. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein paid the state $3.9 million to start the recount but will be reimbursed with a final bill expected at $1.8 million, Wisconsin Elections Commission officials said. Brown County – the last of the state’s 72 counties to tally costs – is expected to have its final bill ready next week. Stein, who held a rally at the state Capitol Jan. 3, said she will use the leftover recount money to fund Count My Vote Wisconsin, an election reform and voting rights organization. Supporters donated money for Stein’s recount requests in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
The Wisconsin recount confirmed Trump’s win with 22,748 votes over Clinton, 131 more than the original count. In Dane County, a hand count of ballots showed a difference of 181 votes, with 172 more votes for Clinton, and two more votes for Stein. Trump’s 71,279 votes remained the same.
Stein responded to the recount totals on her website, writing, “We affirmed the power of the American people to demand a voting system we can trust, that is accurate, secure and just, and free from modern-day Jim Crow in out elections. We pushed forward in three states, defiant in the face of political blockades, bureaucratic hurdles and financial intimidation.”
Full Article: State Recount Costs Come in $2 Million Less Than Expected – Lake Mills Leader: Regional.