Early Recount Has Small Gain for Trump

Early totals from the Wisconsin presidential recount shows a slight gain for Donald Trump, with both Trump and Joe Biden losing votes.

In Milwaukee County, Biden has gained three votes and Trump has lost six. In Dane County, Biden has lost 81 votes and Trump has lost 15.

In total, the recount process has closed the gap by 57 votes.

Neither result, both published by the Wisconsin Elections Commission, includes votes from the two county seats, the cities of Milwaukee and Madison.

As of Tuesday morning, when a box with 386 sealed ballots was discovered, the City of Milwaukee was on track to report at least 450 new ballots when its totals come in. Milwaukee workers are counting all absentee ballots before in-person ballots, leading to a delay in the city’s reporting.

Similar to election night, the city will report last.

Biden led Trump by 20,608 votes across Wisconsin and 182,913 votes in Milwaukee County in advance of the recount. Past recounts in Wisconsin have seen little change in the results. A 2016 statewide recount changed the presidential results by just 131 votes.

Reasons for the changes in this recount can vary. Milwaukee County suburbs have had votes added or struck in the recount due to such issues as missing witness signatures or unclear intent, as clerks  have brought the issues to the county commission for a ruling.

In Dane County 124,825 ballots have been recounted and reported so far. In Milwaukee County the total is 117,798.

Approximately 800,000 ballots will be recounted by the two counties.

The Trump campaign in Milwaukee County has standing objections to approximately 160,000 absentee ballot envelopes that it may try to challenge in court following the recount. The county commission has ruled that the envelopes were appropriately submitted under state law and the ballots should be counted.

A similar objection is being made by Trump officials in Dane County.

The work, under state law, must be finished by December 1st. County Clerk George L. Christenson has repeatedly said it will be completed on time, despite delays, and no voters will be disenfranchised.

The state results report is available from Urban Milwaukee.

Of Milwaukee County’s 19 municipalities, Bayside, Brown Deer, Greendale, Hales Corners, Wauwatosa and West Milwaukee have finished recounting. West Allis, Whitefish Bay, Glendale and South Milwaukee have finished all work except for machine processing the ballots.