The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Q&A on the News
Q: Since she has no chance of winning in these states, what is Jill Stein’s motivation in requesting vote recounts in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin? Who is financing the fees she has to pay to have these recounts carried out? —Michael Poynor, Atlanta
A: Stein, who was the Green Party candidate for president, has pressed for the recounts on the basis of “election integrity,” her website states.
In Michigan, for example, Stein pointed out that 84,000 of the 4.8 million ballots cast didn’t include a vote for president, and she wants to “ensure that our votes were properly counted.”
“In part, Michigan has this very high level of under votes; that is, blank ballots,” she told a radio station on Dec. 1, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. “This may be a tip off, or a red flag that there’s either been machine error, or in some cases tampering.”
Wisconsin began its recount last week and Michigan’s started this week. Stein’s party filed a federal lawsuit on Monday for a recount in Pennsylvania. The Green Party paid $3.5 million for a recount in Wisconsin last month and the initial fees were expected to cost the party $787,500 in Michigan. Pennsylvania added a $1 million bond payment. Stein had received $7.1 million to fund the recounts through early this week, Cosmopolitan.com reported.
She’s raising money through her website ( jillstein.nationbuilder.com/ recount) and told Cosm opolitan.com that the average donation has been $4748 per person from about 150,000 donors.