Jill Stein Wants A Recount In Three States, Warns Of ‘Voter Manipulation’ In Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania

Jill Stein, concerned about media reports that voting machines in three states may have been compromised, is raising money to launch a recount effort in three states, Business Insider is reporting.

In a statement on her website, Stein, the 2016 Green Party nominee for president, told supporters that she needs to raise $2 million by 4 p.m. Central Time Friday in order to begin legal proceedings to demand recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. It’s not clear, as of this writing, how or why Stein’s campaign settled on that specific amount.

“The Stein/Baraka Green Party Campaign is launching an effort to ensure the integrity of our elections. With your help, 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.”

Jill Stein pursues recount in swing states after hacking allegations https://t.co/IdvNkroh7H pic.twitter.com/udtXnXddbe

— Eugene Hegerty (@EugeneHegerty) November 23, 2016

On Tuesday, New York Magazine reported that a group of “prominent computer scientists and lawyers” urged Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to demand recounts in those three states, citing evidence that voting machines in those states may have been susceptible to hacks, manipulations, malfunctions, or other interference.

Specifically, the analysts discovered that in Wisconsin, Clinton received 7 percent fewer votes in counties that use electronic voting machines instead of paper ballots. If it turns out that she was denied those votes, she could be awarded as many as 30,000 votes. Since she lost Wisconsin by 27,000 votes, a recount could theoretically take the state’s electoral votes from Donald Trump and instead award them to Hillary Clinton.

Clinton trying to #AuditTheVote in PA WI & MI due to counties w/ “hackable” electronic voting machines(BLUE) instead of paper ballots(PINK)???? pic.twitter.com/oDvLDRfpdR

— DEPLORABLE MEDIA (@correctthemedia) November 23, 2016

Should those votes be awarded to Clinton, along with Michigan’s and Pennsylvania’s, then Hillary Clinton would have the necessary 270 electoral votes to win the election.

Interestingly, the Clinton campaign has another long-shot chance at turning this election around in her favor: the so-called “faithless electors” — that is, electors who are appointed for Donald Trump but can legally vote for anyone they chose. As of this writing, six Donald Trump electors have pledged not to vote for him, although that doesn’t necessarily mean they will vote for Hillary Clinton.

The evidence the analysts have that the voting machines in those states may have been manipulated is only circumstantial. And in the case of Pennsylvania, experts argue that the machines in use there are so old — and lacking in internet capabilities — that they’re unhackable. Michigan, meanwhile, only uses paper ballots.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration, eager for a smooth transfer of power in January, has urged Clinton not to contest the results, according to an administration insider speaking on condition of anonymity.

Having failed to get satisfaction from the Clinton campaign, the activists approached Stein and the Green Party. Initially, the Green Party declined, citing a lack of money. However, since that time, the Stein campaign has launched a last-minute fundraising effort.

It’s unclear what Jill Stein stands to gain from recounts in those states. She received only 1.1 percent of the popular vote in Michigan and Wisconsin, according to the Hill, and only 0.8 percent of the vote in Pennsylvania. Even if the Stein campaign is successful in forcing a recount in those states, the best-cast scenario, for Stein, is that it turns the election to Hillary Clinton — someone Stein has called “the Queen of Corruption.”

In a Facebook post, Stein/Baraka press director Meleiza Figueroa intimated that Stein, and the Green Party in general, are merely interested in the integrity of the election, for its own sake.

“The green party has always been at the forefront of fights to stand up for our democracy.”

As of this writing, Jill Stein’s campaign has raised just over $156,000 of its goal to raise $2.5 million by Friday afternoon to force a recount.

[Featured Image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]