The state of Wisconsin has garnered headlines in recent days following the 2020 presidential election between current U.S. President Donald Trump and now President-elect Joe Biden.
Currently in the polls of Wisconsin, Biden is in the lead with 49.6% of the popular vote in comparison to Trump’s 48.9%.
A Recount May Be Coming, but the Trump Campaign Can’t Request it Until Canvassing Is Complete in 72 Counties
According to a report from Milwaukee NBC affiliate TMJ4, the state of Wisconsin is gearing up for a potential vote recount.
According to the report, of the 72 counties that voted, 56 have their elections results in, and on Thursday, five more counties submitted canvassing results. Those included Calumet County, Grant County, Langlade County, Pierce County and Winnebago County. In the process of canvassing, election officials are “looking to see that they have the same number of ballots issued as voter signatures in the poll book and absentee requests,” Meagan Wolfe, the state’s top election official told Milwaukee NPR station WUWM. Once the canvassing results are in for all 72 counties — they have a November 17 deadline — the election results can be certified and the Trump campaign can announce whether it will request a recount.
State law allows a recount whenever a candidate loses by less than one percentage point, according to The Associated Press, but if Trump wants one, he’ll have to pay for it — state law dictates that if a candidate loses by more than a quarter of a percentage point, the campaign requesting it must foot the bill.
“We are preparing for the potential of a recount,” Wisconsin Elections Commission’s Meagan Wolfe told NBC.
Voter Registration Was a High Priority in the 2020 Presidential Election
Wisconsin voters made state history in the 2020 election, casting nearly 3.3. million ballots, nearly 2 million of which were cast early, The Associated Press reported.
Voter registration was a top priority in Wisconsin. The Vote Wisconsin app and website drove nearly 30,000 voter registrations in key segments critical to the battleground state, according to a press release. Introduced this year, the app’s goal was to “be instrumental in reaching new and unregistered voters.” The app was developed by Wisconsin Voices, a coalition of over 60 nonpartisan organizations in Wisconsin.
According to the Vote Wisconsin website, “Wisconsin Voices envisions a Wisconsin where every person has the means, motivation, and freedom to fully participate in a just democracy that provides opportunities for all people to thrive.”
The app and the site secured over 26,000 new voter registrations. Additionally, it was “responsible for tens of thousands of referrals to the state’s online registration site,” the press release stated, adding that “the website alone engaged over 160,000 new users with voter registration services and information.”
VoteWisconsin.com also served as a resource for registered Wisconsin voters, providing guidance for returning ballots, finding early voting locations and a tool for recruiting poll workers.
”In the climate of COVID, Vote Wisconsin supported residents in safely and efficiently registering to vote — from the comfort of their homes, computers or phones,” Wisconsin Voice’s Communication Director Lisa Lucas said in a statement via e-mail.
“We’ve registered nearly 30,000 new voters across all demographics and ages. Most notably, 20% of the users of our registration website are 18-24-year-olds and nearly 25% of users were ages 24-34. Knowing the power of the youth vote, we’re happy this technology may have played a major role in them participating in this election.“
According to data from Pew Research, during the 2016 presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, “the black voter turnout rate declined for the first time in 20 years for a presidential election.” The 7% decline was the largest on record for Blacks, and the largest decline for any group since white voter turnout dropped nearly 10% between 1992 and 1996, according to Pew Research.
“I think that it’s very different and there are a lot of different variables,” longtime CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien said in an interview on the Heavy Live With Scoop B Show ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
“Even the fact that the turnout is so much higher. Who’s turning out and whose message is resonating and I think that makes the big difference,” O’Brien said.
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