Trump campaign moves to seek partial recount of Wisconsin, hoping to overturn results
MADISON – President Donald Trump will seek a recount of ballots in liberal Wisconsin counties, hoping to overturn the election results in his favor.
Trump’s campaign paid the state $3 million as of Wednesday morning to start a partial recount, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. The campaign said it would seek a recount in the state’s two most populous and liberal-leaning counties: Dane and Milwaukee.
Former Dane County Judge Jim Troupis is representing the campaign in its recount effort.
“We will not stop fighting for transparency and integrity in our electoral process to ensure that all Americans can trust the results of a free and fair election in Wisconsin and across the country,” Troupis said in a statement.
Trump would have had to pay nearly $8 million to conduct a full statewide recount of Wisconsin, a state he narrowly lost two weeks ago by nearly 21,000 votes. A recount of certain counties costs less.
canvass of votes in the Nov. 3 election showed a 20,608 vote difference between Trump and President-Elect Joe Biden.
A change of that many votes in a recount — especially a partial one — is considered a longshot at best. To win the presidency, Trump would also need to turn other states in his favor. A recount is already underway in Georgia.
Biden could request and pay for the remaining wards to be recounted, according to Dean Knudson, a member of the commission. The Biden campaign would have until two days after the completion of the partial recount to make the request.
Trump has been furiously fundraising for the Wisconsin recount and legal challenges in other states to try to overturn Biden’s victory.
The cost to conduct recounts in 2020 is considerably more than a typical election year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Some counties would need to rent large halls to conduct the recount so they could keep workers and observers distanced from one another, according to Elections Commission Director Meagan Wolfe.
Also driving up the cost are a short time frame and increased security needs, Wolfe said.
When Trump formally requests the recount, the commission’s chairwoman, Ann Jacobs, on Thursday will issue a formal order for affected counties to start their recounts. They will have to begin by Saturday at the latest.
They will have to complete their work by Dec. 1.
That’s the same day the commission is required to certify the state’s presidential results.
molly.beck@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.