Wisconsin Recount Results Day 10: 95% in, but Where’s Milwaukee?

wisconsin recount

MADISON, WI – DECEMBER 01: Designated observes watch as tabulators work on recounting presidential ballots in Dane County, Wisconsin. (Getty)

The latest update in the Wisconsin recount shows that 95% of all presidential ballots have now been counted, but there is still a glaring omission: The City of Milwaukee.

Even though Milwaukee television quoted the Milwaukee County clerk as saying that the Milwaukee County returns were completed on Thursday night, the state Election Commission is still not reporting them fully in the results.

Asked why Milwaukee was still not fully reporting, Reid Magney, spokesman for the Election Commission, said the evening of December 10: “Milwaukee may be done recounting, but they haven’t yet submitted their totals to us. When they do, we’ll mark them as complete.” The Election Commission’s December 11 spreadsheet still says, “Numbers for the City of Milwaukee do not include absentee ballots, which have not yet been recounted. Milwaukee counts its absentee ballots centrally (not at the polling place) on Election Night. When those absentee ballots have been counted the numbers will be updated.”

The Election Commission day 10 spreadsheet also showed dozens of wards in the City of Madison still missing. However, Dane County completed its recounted returns late on Saturday evening, said WKOW-TV. The day 11 spreadsheet – released December 11 – now includes all Dane County wards but a couple in Verona. However, it’s still missing updated City of Milwaukee returns.

WKOW-TV said only a few changes occurred in Dane, with Clinton gaining 172 votes.

The state must certify its results by December 13 or it risks its electoral votes not counting.

There were 148,404 votes still missing from the public recount results posted on Day 10, according to the Election Commission on December 10. That was before Dane County’s returns came in, though. Trump won Wisconsin by more than 22,000 votes, a margin that has changed by only microscopic amounts despite the $3.5 million-plus price tag for the recount.

Dane County, home to Madison, conducted a hand recount of its ballots (that decision was left to local governments). Congressman Sean Duffy recently accused the county of “taking as long as they can.” He claimed Jill Stein and Clinton observers are slowing down the count there by contesting ballots, according to Politifact. Duffy also came under fire for labeling Madison “Communist.” (As an aside, in one of the odder recount oriented news stories, The Ashland Daily Press reported that officials in two northern Wisconsin communities are puzzled by spikes in Russian traffic to their websites.)

As for the recount tallies, the day 10 results show that Hillary Clinton has gained a net of only 25 votes over Donald Trump in the 95% of returns that are in. You can get the latest raw recount data here.

The Milwaukee County clerk did not return a request for comment. He said on local television on December 9 that Milwaukee’s recount had only turned up minor errors that would not change the election. Fox 6 Milwaukee said Milwaukee County completed its recount at 8 p.m. on December 8. Channel 12 Milwaukee said the County’s reports were being finalized and data still needed to be entered.

wisconsin recount, wisconsin recount results

The Wisconsin recount is in its 10th day. (Getty)

The Wisconsin Election Commission reported on December 10, in its midday update, that 65 of 72 counties were now complete. “All are on schedule to finish by Monday,” the Commission reported. (The new Dane County returns weren’t in the official spreadsheet yet.)

The Commission said “2,826,909 ballots have been recounted, approximately 95 percent of all presidential ballots cast (2,975,313).”

The net change is now +1,442 votes, according to the Commission, which reported these net changes on day 10:

Trump/Pence +628
Clinton/Kaine +653
Castle/Bradley +17
Johnson/Weld +76
Stein/Baraka +68
Moorehead/Lilly +14
De la Fuente/Steinberg -14.

Here’s what was still missing, according to the day 10 spreadsheet:

1 ward in Clark County (City of Stanley)

Multiple wards in Dane County (Dozens of wards in the City of Madison – that’s the state Capitol and a liberal stronghold – and a couple of wards in Verona.) These totals are now factored into the Day 11 spreadsheet. They have also surfaced in local media:

Milwaukee County (a ward in the City of Glendale; the City of Milwaukee wards are listed with deficits for each candidate, but as noted above, the Election Commission says the city wards are still not updated with absentee ballots)

Monroe County (wards in the City of Tomah)

Portage County (Town of Carson ward)

Racine County (City of Racine ward)

wisconsin recount

A designated observer, right, watch as presidential ballots are recounted in Dane County. (Getty)

Green Party nominee Jill Stein requested the recount, even though she won only 1 percent of the vote. Donald Trump has labeled it a “scam.” Stein also sought recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania. A judge ended her bid for a Michigan recount, saying she lacked standing to make the request. The Pennsylvania request is bogged down in court; a judge has said he will rule Monday on Stein’s recount request there.

Wisconsin must certify its election results by December 13. The Electoral College meets on December 19. Clinton would have needed all three states to flip (Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania) to win the electoral vote.

The Election Commission also reported these explanations for day 10 changes:

“Dane County: 11 Absentee ballots were left in their certificate envelopes on Election Night for the City of Madison Ward 2.

City of Verona Wards 2-4 results have been removed from the Day 10 update pending further clarification from Dane County Board of Canvass.

Oconto County: Increase of 10 votes in City of Gillett Wards 1-3, increase of 19 votes in Town of Abrams Wards 1-3, Increase of 33 votes in Town of Little Suamico Wards 1-8, Increase of 24 votes in Town of Pensaukee Wards 1-2, and an increase of 12 votes in Town of Spruce Wards 1-2. All increases in Oconto County are attributed to the use of non-standard pens or ballots being marked incorrectly. Voter intent was determined during recount canvass.

Outagamie County: Net decrease of 14 votes in City of Kaukauna Wards 6-7 and net decrease of 12 votes in City of Kaukauna Wards 8-10 due to ballots being run through the tabulator twice on Election Day in error.

Addition of 2 votes to Day 10’s City of Appleton Ward 33 totals. The polling location includes Winnebago County reporting units and 2 ballots Ward 33 ballots were found during Winnebago County’s recount. These ballots were delivered to the Outagamie County recount canvass.”