Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:36 pm
Donald Trump’s margin of victory in Wisconsin appears to be shrinking even before the state’s recount gets underway, according to a new report that cites a number of precincts padding the vote count in Trump’s favor.
According to the Palmer Report, some precincts realized the numbers were padded to benefit Trump and had to revise their numbers. As a result, 5,000 votes were essentially wiped out of Trump’s column in an instant. What’s particularly puzzling, the report noted, is that Clinton’s numbers remained virtually unchanged, despite Trump losing thousands of votes from his total.
If this pattern remains consistent across the state, it’s feasible – though unclear how likely – that Clinton could end up on top in Wisconsin.
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More from the report:
Even ahead of the forthcoming recount in Wisconsin, Donald Trump’s lead has already shrunk to just 22,525 votes. That means 18% of his “lead†has already vanished, based on precincts catching some of their own incorrect numbers, and internet gawkers catching others. But the second thing that jumps out is that the revisions have served to erase thousands of votes from Trump, while affirming that Clinton’s vote total was essentially correct to begin with.
While Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes are in Trump’s column for the time being, his margin in the state could be incredibly fragile if the discrepancies found in a few areas turn out to be a statewide phenomenon. A few more precincts uncovering the same errors could easily tip the state in Clinton’s favor.
At this point, much of this is just speculation, but the good news is that this is exactly why recounts exist – not just to expose any vote tampering, but also to give the American people confidence that the electoral process is fair and can be trusted.
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.
