Michigan vote recount starts
Detroit, Dec. 5: A federal Judge ordered a recount of Michigan’s presidential ballots on Monday and directed that the state complete the process by a December 13 federal deadline.
US District Court Judge Mark Goldsmith issued the written order early on Monday after a Sunday night hearing in federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan’s Southern Division.
Mr Goldsmith ordered that, once started, the recount “must continue until further order of this court.” The recount, which began at noon on Monday, was ordered two days ahead of the two-day waiting period the state had planned to observe from Wednesday.
In his ruling, Mr Goldsmith wrote that “budgetary concerns are not sufficiently significant to risk the disenfranchisement of Michigan’s nearly 5 million voters.”
Lawsuits have been filed in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, three “Rust Belt” states that bucked their history of supporting Democrats and handed Republican Donald Trump narrow wins in the November 8 election that ultimately gave him victory over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
The Green Party and its candidate, Jill Stein, have said their requests for recounts in the three states were focused on ensuring the integrity of the US voting system and not on changing the result of the election.
Ms Stein has said the recount campaign is not targeted at Mr Trump or Ms Clinton.