- GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE JILL STEIN IS GETTING WHAT SHE
WANTED AND HAS SO FAR PAID $3.5 MILLION FOR IT IN THIS STATE.
A RETABULATION OF WISCONSIN'S NEARLY THREE MILLION BALLOTS
CAST IN THE NOVEMBER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.
BALLOTS THAT PENDING THE RECOUNT PUT DONALD TRUMP UP 22,000 VOTES
OVER HILLARY CLINTON.
THE STEIN CAMPAIGN TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY THIS WEEK TO
MANDATE A STATEWIDE HAND COUNT OF BALLOTS.
STILL, MANY COUNTIES HAVE CHOSEN ON THEIR OWN TO HAND COUNT.
HERE'S HOW IT ALL BREAKS OUT.
47 COUNTIES PLAN TO RECOUNT BY HAND.
13 COUNTIES PLAN A COMBINATION OF OPTICAL SCANNERS AND HAND COUNT.
12 COUNTIES PLAN TO USE OPTICAL SCANNERS.
THE DEADLINE FOR COUNTY BOARDS OF CANVASSERS TO COMPLETE THEIR
RECOUNT WORK IS 8:00 P.M., MONDAY, DECEMBER 12.
THE COMMISSION PLANS TO CERTIFY RESULTS ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13.
MARK THOMSEN IS CHAIR OF THE WISCONSIN ELECTIONS COMMISSION.
HE JOINS US AT THE END OF A HECTIC WEEK FROM MILWAUKEE.
MR. THOMSEN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> GREETINGS. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
-SO HOW IS THIS RECOUNT PROGRESS GOING NOW ONE DAY INTO IT?
>> FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW,
I THINK IT'S GOING REMARKABLY WELL.
YOU KNOW, WE GOT THE PETITION MIDDLE OF THANKSGIVING WEEKEND.
LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON WE CONTACTED FELLOW COMMISSIONERS
TO SCHEDULE A MEETING FIRST THING MONDAY MORNING, KNOWING
THAT WE HAD TO BE DONE BY DECEMBER 13.
YOU KNOW, WE HAD AN UNANIMOUS AGREEMENT AMONGST THE THREE
DEMOCRATS, THREE REPUBLICANS THAT THIS STATE WOULD GET IT
DONE, GET IT DONE TIMELY FASHION AND WE FULLY ANTICIPATE THAT WE
WILL CONFIRM THE PRESIDENT-ELECT AS THE NEXT PRESIDENT.
>> MEANWHILE, HOWEVER, A LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED IN FEDERAL COURT
IN MADISON SEEKING TO STOP THIS RECOUNT.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR RESPONSE AND REACTION TO THAT?
>> I THINK PERSONALLY I WAS SURPRISED THAT A PAC ASSOCIATED
WITH THE PRESIDENT-ELECT WOULD TRY TO STOP THE RECOUNT.
IT WAS OUR INTENTION TO FOLLOW STATE STATUTES AND GET THIS DONE
IN A TIMELY FASHION.
WE HAVE 72 COUNTY CANVASSING BOARDS WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK,
OR VIRTUALLY AROUND THE CLOCK, WORKING VERY, VERY HARD.
AS OF LAST NIGHT, WE HAD TWO COUNTIES COMPLETE, MENOMINEE
COUNTY, IRON COUNTY.
IT CONFIRMED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A NET CHANGE OF VOTES BETWEEN
THE CLINTON AND TRUMP CAMPAIGN OF ONE VOTE.
YOU KNOW, LAST TIME THERE WAS A STATEWIDE COUNT THERE WERE ABOUT
300 VOTES THAT CHANGED OUT OF 1.5 MILLION.
FROM MY VANTAGE POINT, I WANTED THIS COUNT, THIS RECOUNT TO BE
COMPLETED TO CONFIRM THAT WE'RE NOT COUNTING ILLEGAL BALLOTS IN
THE STATE OF WISCONSIN AND THAT HARD-WORKING WISCONSINITES ARE
GETTING IT DONE.
WITH RESPECT TO THIS ATTEMPT TO STOP THE RECOUNT, I THINK IT'S
VERY, VERY IRONIC.
WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO CONFIRM THAT THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT WON THIS RACE AND THAT THERE IS NOT ANY
ILLEGAL CONDUCT GOING ON STATEWIDE.
AND WHY NOW THE WINNER OR FRIENDS OF WINNER WOULD WANT TO
STOP IT IS BEYOND ME.
THE ONLY REASON I CAN GUESS IS THAT THEY DON'T WANT THE TRUTH
TO COME OUT THAT WE'RE NOT COUNTING ILLEGAL VOTES, YOU
KNOW?
I MEAN, THIS IS AN ACCURATE PLACE.
WHY ELSE WOULD THEY WANT TO STOP THE COUNT RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW,
IF WE'RE TRYING TO CONFIRM THAT THE PRESIDENT-ELECT WON.
>> YOU KNOW, IN FACT EARLIER THIS WEEK PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP
COMMENTED THAT THERE WERE MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL VOTES CAST
ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN THE ELECTION, GIVING HILLARY CLINTON
THE POPULAR VOTE.
WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
YOU KNOW, ALSO IN KEEPING WITH THIS LAWSUIT SEEKING TO STOP
DOWN YOUR RECOUNT?
>> FROM THE VANTAGE POINT AS CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION, BASED
ON THE HISTORICAL PRACTICE OF HARD-WORKING PEOPLE STATEWIDE
THAT HANDLE THESE ELECTIONS, YOU KNOW, IT WAS MY OPINION THAT IT
WAS A FALSE CHARGE AGAINST THE PEOPLE THAT RUN OUR ELECTIONS.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A VERY SAFE SYSTEM.
IT HAS BEEN DOUBLE-CHECKED.
IT'S HISTORICALLY BEEN AUDITED.
THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY ALLEGATIONS OF SPECIFIC HACKS
AROUND THE STATE.
AND I BELIEVE AND PERSONALLY WANTED THIS RECOUNT COMPLETED SO
THAT THE WORLD KNOWS THAT WE ARE COUNTING REAL VOTES, NOT ILLEGAL
VOTES.
>> NOW, WHAT ABOUT THE CONCERNS ON THE PART OF THE JILL STEIN
CAMPAIGN THAT NOT COUNTING BY HAND ACROSS THE BOARD RISKS
SCANNING PAPER BALLOTS THROUGH THE SAME COMPUTERIZED VOTING
MACHINES THAT WERE USED FOR THE INITIAL COUNT, WHICH ACCORDING
TO THAT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN COMPUTER SCIENCE PROFESSOR MIGHT
BE HACKED?
>> THAT ISSUE WAS RESOLVED BY THE JUDGE IN DANE COUNTY.
JILL STEIN HAD THE RIGHT TO APPEAL FROM THAT DECISION.
SHE DIDN'T.
THE LAW IS VERY CLEAR THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A COURT ORDER
BEFORE YOU GET A RECOUNT.
AND IT IS PROCEEDING ALONG THOSE LINES.
I THINK I CAN SAY THIS.
SIGNIFICANTLY, IN THE COUNT AT MENOMINEE COUNTY, IT CONFIRMED
THAT THERE HAD BEEN AN ERROR AND 17 JILL STEIN VOTES HADN'T
ACTUALLY BEEN COUNTED.
SO HAVING THIS RECOUNT ACTUALLY HAVE -- IT CONFIRMS THESE 17
VOTERS, THAT THEIR VOTE WILL COUNT.
SO IT MAY BE A VERY EXPENSIVE UNDERTAKING FOR THOSE 17 VOTES,
BUT I'M SURE THOSE 17 PEOPLE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT THEIR
VOTES ARE GOING TO BE COUNTED.
>> TO THAT LARGER ISSUE, COULD WISCONSIN'S VOTING MACHINES
HAVE CYBERSECURITY RISKS?
>> THERE'S NO INDICATION THAT WE'VE HAD THAT PROBLEM.
YOU KNOW, HOMELAND SECURITY WAS HERE BEFORE THE ELECTION.
MICHAEL HAAS AND HIS STAFF HAVE, YOU KNOW, DONE ALL THE
DOUBLE-CHECKS.
OF COURSE, THERE'S ALWAYS SOME OUTSIDE POSSIBILITY.
BUT WE ARE VERY, VERY FORTUNATE IN THIS STATE TO HAVE A VERY,
VERY COMPETENT STAFF, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP
THEM FULLY FUNDED.
THAT'S THE NEXT BIG STEP HERE.
ONCE WE GET THIS RECOUNT DONE, IS TO GET OUR STAFF FUNDED BY,
YOU KNOW, THE LEGISLATURE.
A LOT OF OUR STAFF RIGHT NOW IS FUNDED ON FEDERAL DOLLARS, AND
IT'S GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS
RECOUNT MOVE TO GET THE BUDGET PASSED SO WE HAVE THE STAFF.
IF WE LEARN ANYTHING FROM THIS RECOUNT IS THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE
A VERY COMPETENT, FULLY-FUNDED STAFF TO HANDLE THESE KINDS OF
MATTERS.
I MEAN, WE HAVE ASKED OUR STAFF AND THE STATEWIDE COUNTIES TO DO
A MAJOR, MAJOR UNDERTAKING.
AND AS YOU AND I TALK, THEY'RE WORKING VERY, VERY HARD.
AND I HOPE THAT MY FELLOW CITIZENS REALLY, REALLY
APPRECIATE THEIR EFFORTS.
>> I'M SURE THEY DO.
MARK THOMSEN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, THE DEADLINE FOR THE 72 COUNTY
RECOUNT IS MONDAY, DECEMBER 12 AT 8:00 P.M.
THE ELECTIONS COMMISSION PLANS TO CERTIFY THOSE RESULTS IN
SHORT ORDER.
THE NEXT DAY IN FACT, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13.