Trump faces approaching deadline for recount in Wisconsin

final Wisconsin county submitted its canvassed vote totals to state elections commission on Tuesday morning, starting clock for President Donald Trump to file for a recount as he has promised supporters he would. canvassed totals show Democrat Joe Biden beat Trump by about 20,600 votes, which is a roughly six-tenths of a point margin, close eugh for Trump to file for a recount.

He has until 5 pm on Wednesday to submit $7.9 million estimated cost for a statewide recount and or required paperwork. Trump could also file for a recount only in select counties, which would reduce his cost and allow him to target areas where votes were predominantly for Biden. Counties would have to start recount later than Saturday and complete it by December 1.

Trump has been promising a recount in Wisconsin as part of fundraising pleas he's been issuing since he lost election to Biden, but a campaign spokeswoman stopped short of promising a recount on Tuesday. “ legal team continues to examine issues with irregularities in Wisconsin and are leaving all legal options open, including a recount and an audit,” said Jenna Ellis, Trump 2020 legal viser.

Trump and or Republicans have me baseless claims of fraud and irregularities in Wisconsin election, but state's top elections chief and local officials have said re were reports of widespre problems or wrongdoing. An audit of every vember election is required under state law, wher a candidate requests one or t. audit will eir take place as part of recount or before December 1 certification if re is recount, said Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesman Reid Magney.

audit of ballots from 190 randomly selected reporting units is done by hand to verify machine count, Magney said. counties canvassed results, which included provisional ballots t counted on Election Day, changed little from ufficial results posted earlier.

Past recounts both in Wisconsin and nationwide have resulted in only mir changes in vote total. A 2016 presidential recount in Wisconsin netted Trump just 131 ditional votes. Trump's margin of victory that year, less than 23,000 votes, was similar to Biden's win this year. 2016 recount was requested by Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Trump opposed recount at time. State law was later changed to only allow candidates within a percent point of winner to request recounts. A conservative group, True Vote, on Monday moved to dismiss voter fraud lawsuits it h filed in Wisconsin, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania after group's leer me baseless allegations questioning integrity of election.  

(Im Credits: AP)