Reuters: Stein to pursue Pennsylvania recount petition in federal court

[ucrdem]

Green Party candidate Jill Stein late Saturday vowed to bring her fight for a recount of votes cast in Pennsylvania in the U.S. presidential election to federal court, after a state judge ordered her campaign to post a $1 million bond.

{snip}

“The judge’s outrageous demand that voters pay such an exorbitant figure is a shameful, unacceptable barrier to democratic participation,” Stein said in a statement. "No voter in America should be forced to pay thousands of dollars to know if her or his vote was counted."

Stein said she planned to announce "the next step" in the recount effort on Monday at a previously scheduled news conference at Trump Tower in New York City.

She said recounts already under way in some Pennsylvania counties would continue. The state's election commission had approved recounts in 75 precincts where voters requested one, but refused to allow a full forensic audit of voting machines.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-recount-pennsylvania-idUSKBN13T00L

[Cha]

1. Thank you, ucr.. I thought I read that

PA was doing a voluntary recount?

Philadelphia launches voluntary recount after finding major vote total discrepancies

One day after Palmer Report and other news outlets reported that a major change to the official voting totals out of Philadelphia had reduced the size of Donald Trump’s lead in Pennsylvania by more than twenty thousand votes, Philadelphia announced today that it’s launching an immediate and voluntary recount to determine if even more votes had been originally miscounted or excluded. Even as Jill Stein continues her legal battle to try to force the entire state of Pennsylvania to perform a recount, Philadelphia isn’t waiting around to find out whether a recount will be legally required.

Pennsylvania’s original vote totals had Donald Trump winning the state by just over seventy thousand votes. But the sudden revisions out of Philadelphia have now reduced the size of his overall lead to fewer than fifty thousand votes. The Philadelphia recount could shift these totals even further. The wildly shifting numbers in the state also give legal fuel to Jill Stein’a case for a statewide recount, both because the shifts suggest vote counting irregularities, and because the winning margin in the state is now even smaller.

If the vote totals shift in Pennsylvania such that Hillary Clinton ends up with the most votes in the state, either due to the voluntary Philadelphia recount or the still-litigated statewide recount, the state’s electoral votes would automatically be reassigned from Trump to Clinton. This is considered crucial, as if Clinton ends up winning all three recounted states, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, she’ll become president-elect instead of Trump. Philadelphia’s local NBC affiliate has more on the voluntary recount. If you enjoy Palmer Report, consider making a contribution:

https://www.palmerreport.com/news/philadelphia-launches-voluntary-recount-after-finding-major-vote-total-discrepancies/338/

Somebody would be tweeting up a storm

[ucrdem]

2. thanks Cha!

Yes, and there are likely enough provisional and early votes stashed in Philadelphia, Detroit, and Milwaukee to put her over in all three states, so that's probably the best strategy, but this federal suit appears to be the other half of the "Stein dropping PA recount" story that's been all over the Googlesphere for a day...

[Cha]

3. Right.. two separate approaches.

Thank you and good luck to us all!

Why not?!

[Abouttime]

10. I believe you're right

Early voting should have guaranteed this election for Hillary.

[ucrdem]

11. Yes it was very strange wasn't it?

Nov. 7: "Record early voting points to Clinton victory"

Nov. 9: "Voter apathy leads to Clinton loss"

It's taken California nearly a month to count early and provisional votes, with final certified results due Tuesday, yet somehow states with GOP governors finished the job before midnight on Nov. 8?

hmm...

[Abouttime]

12. There is still time

9 days I believe until the 13th when the elections must be certified by the states.
I think there are 2 ways this could go in our favor, first enough votes are 'found' to put Hillary over the top in all 3 states, or these recounts get messy in the media and the courts.
If the latter happens, and it should be encouraged at every opportunity, PA,WI, and MI won't be able to certify their vote counts and their electors won't vote on the 19th leaving Trump short of the 270 needed to win. This I hope will leave Trump looking even more illegitimate in the eyes of the media, the world and the American public, after all he LOST the popular vote by nearly 3 million and now he doesn't even have the required 270 to win the electoral college?
This needs to be the narrative, Trump lost the popular vote by literally millions and there is no definitive 'proof' he won enough electoral votes to become President.
This along with blatant Russian interference and the FBI releasing false information unfairly cost Hillary the Presidency.
It's a long shot but perhaps enough electors might be persuaded to 'do the right thing' and save our country.

[MADem]

4. Good! nt

[YOHABLO]

5. You know I stand with Stein but what's going on leaves me confused.

God how I wish just once we could win. We know in our gut that these criminals have manipulated our voting process, at least in my time probably have a dozen times. But ever since the introduction of computer based voting with no paper trail, has this become a regular event in this country. In my gut there's something wicked and sinister lurking in the shadows. The people that Trump is choosing to be in his cabinet should scare the daylight out of each and everyone of us. This is not good. Let's hope we find enough evidence to turn this around. All this 'hope and change' has been flushed down the toilet.

[BainsBane]

6. Yet she is paying 4x that in WI

And has raised nearly 7 million.

What us the federal legal issue? And is she allowing the PA deadline to pass?

[ucrdem]

7. I think the PA deadline had passed and this was a petition to proceed anyway.

The bond requirement was unforeseen and unpropitious so apparently Stein's lawyers decided to switch to a federal court petition. But it's being reported from the rooftops that "Stein has dropped her recount bid" in PA (just heard that headline on BBC world). It seems the media are anxious to bury this one swiftly.

[MaeScott]

8. The media is trying its best to Pooh Pooh the whole thing.

Be aware of their tactics.

[ucrdem]

9. I noticed that too.

Once the recounts started they suddenly got very serious about "president-elect" Trump, like "this is a done deal folks so don't even think about a re-do." Well we're thinking about one.

[Coyotl]

13. Statement on the Pennsylvania recount from Jonathan Abady, lead counsel

Here's a statement on the Pennsylvania recount from Jonathan Abady, lead counsel to the Stein recount efforts, and Founding Partner of Emery Celli Brinckerhoff + Abady LLP:

“Make no mistake–the Stein campaign will continue to fight for a statewide recount in Pennsylvania. We are committed to this fight to protect the civil and voting rights of all Americans. Over the past several days, it has become clear that the barriers to verifying the vote in Pennsylvania are so pervasive and that the state court system is so ill-equipped to address this problem that we must seek federal court intervention. As a result, on Monday the Stein campaign will escalate our campaign in Pennsylvania and file for emergency relief in federal court, demanding a statewide recount on constitutional grounds.”

https://www.facebook.com/drjillstein/posts/1389596307747222

[NWCorona]

14. Why can't Jill cover the $10k? She's received millions

I personally have given $20 for the cause. This just seems odd to me. Take a dual track on this if you want to go the court route because time is limited.