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Wisconsin Counties Using Machines In Ballot Recount, Despite Request For Hand Count

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The Green County clerk in Wisconsin says working nights and weekends are in his immediate future. That’s due to the ballot recount requested for the state by one presidential nominee.

About 19,000 ballots total were cast in Green County for the general election earlier this month. That’s according to Green County County Clerk Michael Doyle.

“We’ve got, like, 3,000 absentee ballots," Doyle said. "That really makes it very difficult for a recount because all of the ballot envelopes have to be certified and it just takes a lot more time.”

Doyle says he anticipates the recount starting later this week and going through next week. But he says it could be even longer than that.

“If I get delays, if people [keep] asking a lot of questions, if it just takes more time – there’s a lot of different steps here,” Doyle said.

Green party presidential candidate Jill Stein requested a vote recount for Wisconsin and her campaign paid for it. State law requires candidates to pay for a vote recount if they request one.

Stein has expressed a preference to a hand count as opposed to by machine. Doyle says his office will use both methods – he’ll start with a hand count and use machines if the office is pressed for time.

Doyle says it will cost $20,000 to recount all of the Green County ballots.

The Walworth County clerk's office, along with Rock County's, says they will use machines to recount their ballots in the county. Walworth County had more than 51,000 casted ballots, while Rock had more than 76,000.

Both offices declined additional comment, citing limited available time to answer questions.