WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (UPI) — Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein on Wednesday made a major push to raise $2 million to pay for recount efforts in three critical battleground states that cost Hillary Clinton the election.
Stein launched an online funding page Wednesday, hoping to raise the money by next week so recount efforts can begin immediately in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — three states that provide enough electoral votes (46) to give Clinton the victory.
Stein’s efforts follow various claims of potential voting anomalies in those three typically-Democratic states, all of which voted for President Barack Obama in 2012 and 2008. In fact, a Republican presidential candidate hasn’t taken even one of those states since 1988.
“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,” Stein’s fundraising page tells supporters. “In true grassroots fashion, we’re turning to you, the people, and not big-money corporate donors to make this happen.”
As of late Wednesday afternoon, nearly $600,000 of the $2 million target had been raised.
Stein’s effort comes at a time many are wondering whether a recount should be ordered.
Last week, a group of computer scientists and election lawyers called on the Clinton campaign to demand a recount in those three states, The Wall Street Journal reported — out of concern that the results could have been tampered with by hackers.
“The only way to know whether a cyberattack changed the result is to closely examine the available physical evidence … in critical states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania,” computer scientist J. Alex Halderman wrote in a blog post.
“Unfortunately, nobody is ever going to examine that evidence unless candidates in those states act now, in the next several days, to petition for recounts.”
Although voting is not done over the Internet, computer experts have said it’s possible malware could have been uploaded to voting machines when the digital ballots were installed.
Trump beat Clinton in all three states, but by small margins — less than 10,000 in Michigan, 23,000 in Wisconsin and 70,000 in Pennsylvania, CNBC reported.
The election results have not yet been certified. In fact, Michigan still hasn’t awarded its 16 electoral votes yet, as it is scrutinizing its ballot count.
As of Wednesday, Trump has 290 electoral votes to Clinton’s 232. If Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania went for Clinton, she would win the electoral college vote and the presidency, 278-260.
