Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein has filed for a full recount of ballots in Wisconsin based on what may be skewed results due to the state's voter database possibly having been hacked or otherwise manipulated.
The Guardian says that Stein's move to order a recount rests on the theory that the voter database in Wisconsin could have been infiltrated by foreign hackers and that bogus absentee ballots may have been filed.
Stein formally filed for a recount in Wisconsin shortly before the state's deadline on Friday, Nov. 25. The politician/activist is reportedly also planning on requesting recounts in Pennsylvania and Michigan in the coming days.
President-Elect Donald Trump won a narrow victory in all three states against Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Tech Crunch notes that in order for Clinton's campaign to challenge the federal election results, the recounts would have to prove that she won in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
While the elections are not determined by popular vote, the Electoral College can still theoretically change the election outcome when they meet to issue their final votes on Dec. 19.
While many thought that the recount would be based on Trump's victory by a narrow margin in the state, Stein's Wisconsin filing reveals that its focus is the "significant increase in the number of absentee voters as compared to the last general election."
"This significant increase could be attributed to a breach of the state's electronic voter database," the petition read.
Stein has raised more than $5 million via NationBuilder.com to fund her recount campaign. On Friday, the election board in Wisconsin has agreed on the statewide recount. Nearly three million ballots will reportedly have to be examined by hand before the Dec. 13 federal deadline to finish the recount. The process will begin next week after Stein has paid the fee required. The deadlines for Pennsylvania and Michigan are also next week.
