Trump Campaign Pays For Recount in Milwaukee, Dane Counties

President Donald Trump‘s campaign wired $3 million to the Wisconsin Elections Commission Wednesday to pay for a recount in Milwaukee and Dane counties.

The state’s two most populous counties went overwhelmingly for Joe Biden in the November 3rd election.

In a press release the Trump campaign cited “illegally altered absentee ballots, illegally issued absentee ballots and illegal advice given by government officials allowing Wisconsin’s Voter ID laws to be circumvented” without providing evidence.

The campaign, as of the time of publication, must still file the necessary paperwork to request the recount. No reason for the request is required.

Biden currently has a 20,608 vote lead under the final canvass results. That includes leading Trump by 182,913 votes in Milwaukee County (317,270 to 134,357) and 181,385 votes in Dane County (260,157 to 78,800).

Any campaign that has a margin of one percent or less in Wisconsin has until 5 p.m. Wednesday to pay for a recount. A statewide recount would require a $7.9 million deposit.

The figure was calculated by combining estimates provided by the state’s 72 county clerks and a $30,000 expected cost for the Elections Commission. County clerks would oversee the recount, if one should happen.

Milwaukee County’s estimate is $2 million and Dane County estimated its cost at $740,000. Any excess funds are to be returned to the campaign.

City of Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall-Vogg said Monday that she was confident the city’s processes would withstand scrutiny. “A recount will just confirm that, just like it did in 2016,” she told a Common Council committee. “All of our processes were open and transparent and there were plenty of observers at any time.”

Woodall-Vogg said the recount would take 13 days, with work starting Friday and running through the weekend. “The only day off would be Thanksgiving,” she said.

The Milwaukee County Election Commission plans to execute the recount at the Wisconsin Center. Each municipality would participate.

The work must be completed by December 1st.

The Green Party paid for a 2016 recount which resulted in a net gain of 131 votes for Trump. The effort cost approximately $2 million.

In a statement, WEC executive director Meagan Wolfe attributed the 2020 cost increase to the extra space and security needs to accommodate the pandemic.

The Trump campaign did not target Menominee County for a recount, where Biden secured his largest margin. Biden leads in the county 1,303 to 278.