Just five hours after Jill Stein and the Green Party announced an unexpected fundraiser to audit election results in three swing states, over $1 million has been raised to cover the recount costs.
Just rolled over a million bucks (in 5+ hrs)#Recount2016https://t.co/8ft4PjL1tS pic.twitter.com/9NCIknR7gc
— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) November 24, 2016
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According to Stein’s website, the money will be used to ensure the integrity of the election in three states – Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan – that Donald Trump unexpectedly carried on Nov. 8.
More from the fundraiser’s page:
The Stein/Baraka Green Party Campaign is launching an effort to ensure the integrity of our elections. With your help, we are raising money to demand recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania—three states where the data suggests a significant need to verify machine-counted vote totals.
The filing deadlines are quickly approaching in each of the three states where the Green Party wants to see recounts. Wisconsin’s is Nov. 25, Â just two days away, and Stein’s website claims they need to raise $1.1 million by Friday in order to make a recount happen in that state.
As of this hour, the total money raised has surpassed $1.2 million, which would be enough to secure a vote audit in that state.
To file for a recount in Pennsylvania, an additional $500,000 must be raised by Nov. 28, which seems likely given the surprising early momentum behind the Green Party’s effort.
Michigan’s deadline to petition for a recount is slightly later, on Nov. 30, and will cost another $600,000.
The call to audit the election results in these three states comes after a group of computer scientists and election lawyers came forward and claimed electronic voting machines may have cost Hillary Clinton thousands of votes – enough to swing the election to Trump in these three closely contested battleground states.
It’s not clear whether the overall outcome of the election will change, but ensuring the integrity of one of the most important elections in history – especially when credible doubts are being raised – is important.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
