Wisconsin election votes to be recounted - Clinton's team to take part

Wisconsin's election board on Friday agreed to conduct a statewide recount of votes cast in the presidential earlier this month, requested by Green Party candidate Jill Stein and to be joined by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign team.

Stein said she wants to guarantee the integrity of the U.S. voting system since computer hacking had marked the November 8 election.

The Elections Commission said the recount process, including an examination by hand of the nearly three million ballots cast in Wisconsin, is expected to begin late next week.

"The Commission is preparing to move forward with a statewide recount of votes for President of the United States, as requested," Commission Administrator Michael Haas said in a statement.

The recount must be finished by December 13.


The Clinton campaign counsel, Marc Elias, said the campaign had not planned to seek a recount since its own investigation had failed to turn up any sign of hacking of voting systems but would take part in the recount in Wisconsin as well as in the other battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan if recounts were mounted there.

"But now that a recount has been initiated in Wisconsin, we intend to participate in order to ensure the process proceeds in a manner that is fair to all sides," Elias said, adding that the campaign should be legally represented in Wisconsin to be able to monitor the recount.

Stein in a Facebook message on Friday, said she has raised at least $US5 million since launching the bid on Wednesday for recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania - three battleground states where Republican candidate and president-elect, Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by narrow margins.
 
The chances of overturning the election results is considered very slim, even if all three states are recounted.

Trump overcame Clinton by 70,010 votes, in Pennsylvania, by 10,704 votes in Michigan, and 27,257 votes in Wisconsin.
Reuters