The organization behind the presidential campaign for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, along with one other group, on Friday filed a petition with the Wisconsin Elections Commission for a recount of votes in the Nov. 8 election, the commission said.

“The Commission is preparing to move forward with a statewide recount of votes for President of the United States, as requested by these candidates,” Commission Administrator Michael Haas said in a statement. </s> Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente, an independent candidate for president who garnered less than 1 percent of the vote in Nevada, filed late Tuesday for a recount of a sample of the state’s presidential ballots.

Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente, an independent candidate for president, filed for a recount of a sample of Nevada’s presidential ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (Matt Volz/AP)

CARSON CITY — Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente, an independent candidate for president who garnered less than 1 percent of the vote in Nevada, filed late Tuesday for a recount of a sample of the state’s presidential ballots.

De La Fuente identified 93 precincts to be recounted and paid $14,154.98 to the secretary of state’s office ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline to cover the cost.

In the November election, De La Fuente came in dead last in the presidential contest on the Nevada ballot, even trailing “None of these candidates.” He received just 2,552 votes, or 0.23 percent. Democratic contender Hillary Clinton won Nevada with 47.9 percent of the vote, beating Republican President-elect Donald Trump by a little more than 2 percent.

In a statement Tuesday, De La Fuente said he ran in the Democratic presidential primary, then ran in the general election in various states as an independent and as the nominee of both the Reform Party and the American Delta Party in “an effort to champion election reform.”

Under state law, the secretary of state’s office has five days to complete a recount of the precincts requested — two each in Carson City, Douglas, Mineral and Nye counties and the rest in Clark County, the state’s population hub and home to about 2 million people.

If the recount shows a discrepancy equal to or greater than 1 percent for either De La Fuente or Clinton, a full recount of all ballots in the state will be ordered, said Wayne Thorley, elections deputy for the secretary of state’s office.

“If it shows yes there was a discrepancy, we’ll recount the entire state,” Thorley said.

De La Fuente also filed a petition last week requesting a recount in Wisconsin but later withdrew it after Jill Stein, the Green Party presidential candidate, filed a petition there and telegraphed plans to file also in Michigan and Pennsylvania. On Tuesday, his campaign said it would instead ask for recounts in Nevada and Florida.

Stein fell short of signatures needed to qualify for Nevada’s Nov. 8 ballot after the verifiation proces by the secretary of state’s office. A federal judge upheld the secretary of state’s determination. Because she was not on the ballot, Stein was ineligible to request a recount here.

Republicans have denounced the recounts, with President-elect Donald Trump labeling the effort a “scam” and his senior adviser Kellyanne Conway calling Stein and Democrat Hillary Clinton, whose campaign on Saturday threw its support behind Stein’s moves, “a bunch of crybabies and sore losers.”

In the statement, De La Fuente indicated he was concerned about the integrity of the vote and was not pursuing the recount for partisan reasons.

“I am not a big fan of President-elect Trump, but I also ran against Hillary in the Democratic primary,” De La Fuente said. “In my opinion, a recount should be done to validate the election or expose the need for substantive election reform. It shouldn’t favor one candidate over another.”

Clinton won Nevada, while Trump won Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The Nevada Green Party supports De La Fuente’s recount effort here, state co-Chairwoman Kim Borghese said.

“He has that right and it basically just ensures that there’s no corruption or fraud going on in the system,” Borghese said. “It’s the fair and right thing to do to make sure there is election integrity.”

De La Fuente, who could not be reached by the Las Vegas Review-Journal late Tuesday, said in the statement that he doesn’t expect to change election results.

“It’s not about flipping a state and changing the results,” he said. “It’s about making sure that every vote counts as it’s cast.”

De La Fuente, a businessman whose website lists auto dealerships, banking and real estate among his enterprises, added that he targeted Nevada because he had standing to seek a recount here, whereas Stein did not.

“Jill wasn’t ballot-qualified in Nevada, whereas I was,” he said. “So, she can carry the burden in Wisconsin and the other states in which she as an interest, and I’ll add two more to the mix.”

Colton Lochhead of the Review-Journal contributed to this report. Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3821. Follow @SandraChereb on Twitter. </s> CARSON CITY — Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente, an independent candidate for president who garnered less than 1 percent of the vote in Nevada, filed late Tuesday for a recount of a sample of the state’s presidential ballots.

De La Fuente identified 93 precincts to be recounted and paid $14,154.98 to the secretary of state’s office ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline to cover the cost.

In the November election, De La Fuente came in dead last in the presidential contest on the Nevada ballot, even trailing “None of these candidates.” He received just 2,552 votes, or 0.23 percent. Democratic contender Hillary Clinton won Nevada with 47.9 percent of the vote, beating Republican President-elect Donald Trump by a little more than 2 percent.

In a statement Tuesday, De La Fuente said he ran in the Democratic presidential primary, then ran in the general election in various states as an independent and as the nominee of both the Reform Party and the American Delta Party in “an effort to champion election reform.”

Under state law, the secretary of state’s office has five days to complete a recount of the precincts requested — two each in Carson City, Douglas, Mineral and Nye counties and the rest in Clark County, the state’s population hub and home to about 2 million people.

If the recount shows a discrepancy equal to or greater than 1 percent for either De La Fuente or Clinton, a full recount of all ballots in the state will be ordered, said Wayne Thorley, elections deputy for the secretary of state’s office.

“If it shows yes there was a discrepancy, we’ll recount the entire state,” Thorley said.

De La Fuente also filed a petition last week requesting a recount in Wisconsin, but later withdrew it after Jill Stein, the Green Party presidential candidate, filed a petition there and telegraphed plans to file also in Michigan and Pennsylvania. On Tuesday, his campaign said it would instead ask for recounts in Nevada and Florida.

Stein missed deadlines and was not on Nevada’s Nov. 8 ballot, and therefore was ineligible to request a recount here.

Republicans have denounced the recounts, with President-elect Donald Trump labeling the effort a “scam” and his senior adviser Kellyanne Conway calling Stein and Democrat Hillary Clinton, whose campaign on Saturday threw its support behind Stein’s moves, “a bunch of crybabies and sore losers.”

In the statement, De La Fuente indicated he was concerned about the integrity of the vote and was not pursuing the recount for partisan reasons.

“I am not a big fan of President-elect Trump, but I also ran against Hillary in the Democratic primary,” De La Fuente said. “In my opinion, a recount should be done to validate the election or expose the need for substantive election reform. It shouldn’t favor one candidate over another.”

The Nevada Green Party supports De La Fuente’s recount effort here, state co-Chairwoman Kim Borghese said.

“He has that right and it basically just ensures that there’s no corruption or fraud going on in the system,” Borghese said. “It’s the fair and right thing to do to make sure there is election integrity”

De La Fuente, who could not be contacted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal late Tuesday, said in the statement that he doesn’t expect to change election results.

“It’s not about flipping a state and changing the results,” he said. “It’s about making sure that every vote counts as it’s cast.”

De La Fuente, a businessman whose website lists auto dealerships, banking and real estate among his enterprises, added that he targeted Nevada because he had standing to seek a recount here, whereas Stein did not.

“Jill wasn’t ballot-qualified in Nevada, whereas I was,” he said. “So, she can carry the burden in Wisconsin and the other states in which she as an interest, and I’ll add two more to the mix.”

Colton Lochhead of the Review-Journal contributed to this report. Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3821. Follow @SandraChereb on Twitter. </s> Nevada election officials will recount ballots in five counties after independent presidential candidate Roque De La Fuente requested and paid about $14,000 for the effort.

De La Fuente finished last in the state but this week requested a recount in Nevada, a state Democrat Hillary Clinton won. De La Fuente says he wants to counterbalance a recount Green Party candidate Jill Stein requested in Wisconsin, which President-elect Donald Trump won. Stein also has requested recounts in Trump-won states of Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Nevada Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Wayne Thorley said Wednesday that state law requires the five counties — Carson City, Douglas, Mineral, Nye and Clark — to begin the recount within five days and to complete it within five additional days.

Thorley says if recount results show a discrepancy of at least 1 percent for De La Fuente or Clinton, a full state recount will be launched.

Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein is pushing back against charges from Wisconsin Republicans that she illegally coordinated with Democrat Hillary Clinton to raise money for recounts in three states.

Stein campaign manager David Cobb said in a statement Wednesday that “The recount effort is non-partisan and Stein is not coordinating with any other campaign.”

Cobb says, “Any allegations to the contrary are fabrications.” He says the Wisconsin Republican Party’s complaint to the Federal Elections Commission “is nothing but a PR stunt to push a false narrative that will ultimately have no impact on the recount in Wisconsin.”

The complaint contends that Clinton is the only person who could benefit from a recount and that she appears to have illegally helped Stein raise nearly $7 million for the recounts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Stein requested the recount on Wednesday. She had already requested recounts in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Republican Donald Trump won all three states. He defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in Michigan by 10,704 votes out of nearly 4.8 million ballots cast. Stein alleges that irregularities and the potential for hacking into scanning devices call into question the results.

The Michigan recount could start as early as Friday.

Trump’s victory is highly unlikely to be reversed in any of the states. But Stein says the recount will ensure the integrity of the election.

Republicans say the recount will cost taxpayers far more than the $973,000 Stein must pay when filing her recount petition.

Wisconsin’s elections chief is telling local clerks that he knows they’re frustrated with trying to complete a presidential recount in less than two weeks.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein requested the recount. It’s slated to begin Thursday and must be completed by Dec. 13 or Congress could gain control of the state’s electoral votes.

Commission Administrator Mike Haas held a teleconference with clerks Wednesday to walk them through final preparations.

Twice Haas acknowledged they’re unhappy with conducting a recount during the holiday season on behalf of a candidate who got only 30,000 votes in Wisconsin. But he told them he hopes they’ve accepted that the recount must be conducted, by law, and that it will be done professionally.

The Wisconsin Republican Party alleges that Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein’s recount effort in Wisconsin amounts to illegal coordination with Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The state Republican Party filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday. The complaint comes the day before the scheduled start of the recount of Wisconsin’s vote, won by Republican Donald Trump by less than 1 percentage point.

The complaint contends that Clinton is the only person who could benefit from a recount and that she appears to have illegally helped Stein raise nearly $7 million for the recounts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Spokeswomen for Stein and Clinton’s campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Stein plans to request the recount later Wednesday. She has already requested recounts in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Republican Donald Trump won all three states. He defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in Michigan by 10,704 votes out of nearly 4.8 million ballots cast. Stein alleges that irregularities and the potential for hacking into scanning devices call into question the results.

The Michigan recount could start as early as Friday.

Trump’s victory is highly unlikely to be reversed in any of the states. But Stein says the recount will ensure the integrity of the election.

Republicans say the recount will cost taxpayers far more than the $973,000 Stein must pay when filing her recount petition.

Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein will not be appealing a Wisconsin judge’s ruling that the state’s presidential recount can be done without hand counting every ballot.

Stein spokeswoman Margy Levinson said in an email Wednesday that the ruling made Tuesday night in Dane County Circuit Court would not be appealed. Levinson says given the time constraints, they want to focus resources on the recount that begins Thursday.

The majority of Wisconsin counties planned to do a hand recount of ballots cast even though the judge’s ruling means they can choose to feed the ballots into tabulation machines to double check the counts.

Levinson says Stein’s focus will be on verifying the vote on the ground and she encourages counties to voluntarily conduct a hand recount.

Wisconsin election officials are set to hold their last meeting with county clerks before launching a presidential recount.

The recount is set to start Thursday. The Wisconsin Election Commission plans to meet with the clerks via teleconference and an online seminar Wednesday morning. The agenda calls for discussing counting procedures, how to treat absentee ballots, how to review provisional ballots and how to track expenses.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein requested the recount, alleging without evidence that the state’s electronic voting machines may have been hacked. The commission had to grant that request under state law. Stein also wanted all 72 counties to conduct the recount by hand, but the commission refused to order that and a Dane County judge affirmed that decision late Tuesday evening. </s> An election recount will take place soon in Wisconsin, after former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein filed a petition Friday with the state’s Elections Commission, the first of three states where she has promised to contest the election result.

The move from Stein, who raised millions since her Wednesday announcement that she would seek recounts of Donald Trump’s apparent election victories in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, came just 90 minutes before Wisconsin’s 5 p.m. Friday deadline to file a petition. Now it will keep some hope alive for many Hillary Clinton supporters for another few weeks while Wisconsin recounts ballots before a Dec. 13 deadline.

Trump scored upset victories in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and seems on the path to declare a victory in Michigan as well, although the result of the election in that state will not be certified officially until Monday. Had Clinton won those three states, previously seen as part of the Democrats’ “firewall,” she would have secured enough votes in the Electoral College to win the election.

Stein announced her intention to file the petition following reports that a group of data experts and election lawyers were urging Clinton to demand a recount in those three states, on suspicion that a cyberattack could have manipulated the results of the election in those states. While the group had no specific proof of hacking, they noted irregularities suggesting Clinton routinely did more poorly in Wisconsin counties that used voting machines, as opposed to those that relied on paper ballots.

Trump secured a total of 1,404,000 votes in Wisconsin, according to the commission; Clinton had 1,381,823. Stein secured 31,006 votes.

To be on the safe side, the group of experts urged a recount – but it was Stein’s campaign that ended up demanding one, soliciting at first $2.5 million and later up to $7 million to fund the recounts. As of Friday evening, Stein’s campaign reported taking in over $5.25 million in recount-related donations – the most by a third-party candidate in history.

Wisconsin has the first deadline of the three states in question. If Stein’s campaign wishes to file recount petitions in the other states as promised, she must do so by Monday to meet Pennsylvania’s deadline, and Wednesday to meet Michigan’s deadline.

In the end, Stein was not the only presidential candidate to demand a recount. Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente, the Reform Party nominee who got 1,514 Wisconsin votes, also filed a recount petition, according to the state’s Elections Commission.

In a statement, Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Michael Haas guessed that the cost and complexity of the recount would be in excess of the state’s last recount in 2011, which carried a price tag of more than $520,000. In that recount over a state Supreme Court seat, the commission had to recount 1.5 million votes – about half the 2.975 million ballot votes that were cast during the 2016 presidential election.

Stein put a note on her Facebook page on Friday, asking supporters “to consider volunteering to help in the recount process.”

The county boards of canvassers will conduct the recount, according to the commission’s statement, and will have the authority “to decide which ballots should and should not be counted,” Haas said.

If the candidates disagree with the results of the Wisconsin recount, they will have five business days to contest the outcome in court. </s> Independent candidate Roque “Rocky" De La Fuente has requested a recount of the results of the presidential election in Nevada, his campaign confirmed today.

De La Fuente said in a statement Tuesday that he is asking for recounts in Florida and Nevada “to create a nationwide awareness of the vulnerability of our election system” and to ensure that “your vote counts for the candidate for whom it is cast.” Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein has made similar recount requests in recent days, moving to challenge election results in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Democrat Hillary Clinton won 47.9 percent of the vote in Nevada to Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s 45.5 percent. De La Fuente, a San Diego businessman and little-known candidate, received the fewest number of votes on election night, 2,552 ballots or 0.23 percent of the vote, even fewer than Nevada’s unique “none of these candidates” option.

The recount was first reported by Nevada political journalist Jon Ralston.

De La Fuente said he chose to focus on Nevada because the state’s February caucuses were conducted “in a way that should have raised eyebrows." He described his recount efforts in the two states as a “spot check” on the election results.

“Both states have ‘earned’ the right to be audited, the limited recounts won’t be prohibitively expensive, and neither candidate will be unfairly favored,” De La Fuente said.

To ask for a recount, a candidate or voter must submit a letter to the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office stating which office or ballot measure he or she is requesting be recounted, along with the precincts that they request to be included in the recount. They must also submit a deposit to cover the costs of the recount.

Requests for a recount are due within three working days of the official canvass of the votes, which occurred this year on Nov. 22. A recount must begin five days after the demand is filed and be completed within five days after it has begun.

The Nevada Secretary of State’s Office did not immediately return an email or phone call Tuesday night seeking additional information. </s> An election recount will take place soon in Wisconsin, after former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein filed a petition Friday with the state's Elections Commission, the first of three states where she has promised to contest the election result.

The move from Stein, who raised millions since her Wednesday announcement that she would seek recounts of Donald Trump's apparent election victories in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, came just 90 minutes before Wisconsin's 5 p.m. Friday deadline to file a petition. Now it will keep some hope alive for many Hillary Clinton supporters for another few weeks while Wisconsin recounts ballots before a Dec. 13 deadline.

Trump scored upset victories in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and seems on the path to declare a victory in Michigan as well, although the result of the election in that state will not be certified officially until Monday. Had Clinton won those three states, previously seen as part of the Democrats' "firewall," she would have secured enough votes in the Electoral College to win the election.

Stein announced her intention to file the petition following reports that a group of data experts and election lawyers were urging Clinton to demand a recount in those three states, on suspicion that a cyberattack could have manipulated the results of the election in those states. While the group had no specific proof of hacking, they noted irregularities suggesting Clinton routinely did more poorly in Wisconsin counties that used voting machines, as opposed to those that relied on paper ballots.

Trump secured a total of 1,404,000 votes in Wisconsin, according to the commission; Clinton had 1,381,823. Stein secured 31,006 votes.

To be on the safe side, the group of experts urged a recount - but it was Stein's campaign that ended up demanding one, soliciting at first $2.5 million and later up to $7 million to fund the recounts. As of Friday evening, Stein's campaign reported taking in over $5.25 million in recount-related donations - the most by a third-party candidate in history.

Wisconsin has the first deadline of the three states in question. If Stein's campaign wishes to file recount petitions in the other states as promised, she must do so by Monday to meet Pennsylvania's deadline, and Wednesday to meet Michigan's deadline.

In the end, Stein was not the only presidential candidate to demand a recount. Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente, the Reform Party nominee who got 1,514 Wisconsin votes, also filed a recount petition, according to the state's Elections Commission.

In a statement, Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Michael Haas guessed that the cost and complexity of the recount would be in excess of the state's last recount in 2011, which carried a price tag of more than $520,000. In that recount over a state Supreme Court seat, the commission had to recount 1.5 million votes - about half the 2.975 million ballot votes that were cast during the 2016 presidential election.

Stein put a note on her Facebook page on Friday, asking supporters "to consider volunteering to help in the recount process."

The county boards of canvassers will conduct the recount, according to the commission's statement, and will have the authority "to decide which ballots should and should not be counted," Haas said.

If the candidates disagree with the results of the Wisconsin recount, they will have five business days to contest the outcome in court. </s> LANSING, Mich. – The Latest on presidential recount efforts in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nevada (all times local):

Nevada election officials will recount ballots in five counties after independent presidential candidate Roque De La Fuente requested and paid about $14,000 for the effort.

De La Fuente finished last in the state but this week requested a recount in Nevada, a state Democrat Hillary Clinton won. De La Fuente says he wants to counterbalance a recount Green Party candidate Jill Stein requested in Wisconsin, which President-elect Donald Trump won. Stein also has requested recounts in Trump-won states of Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Nevada Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Wayne Thorley said Wednesday that state law requires the five counties — Carson City, Douglas, Mineral, Nye and Clark — to begin the recount within five days and to complete it within five additional days.

Thorley says if recount results show a discrepancy of at least 1 percent for De La Fuente or Clinton, a full state recount will be launched.

Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein is pushing back against charges from Wisconsin Republicans that she illegally coordinated with Democrat Hillary Clinton to raise money for recounts in three states.

Stein campaign manager David Cobb said in a statement Wednesday that "The recount effort is non-partisan and Stein is not coordinating with any other campaign."

Cobb says, "Any allegations to the contrary are fabrications." He says the Wisconsin Republican Party's complaint to the Federal Elections Commission "is nothing but a PR stunt to push a false narrative that will ultimately have no impact on the recount in Wisconsin."

The complaint contends that Clinton is the only person who could benefit from a recount and that she appears to have illegally helped Stein raise nearly $7 million for the recounts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Stein requested the recount on Wednesday. She had already requested recounts in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Republican Donald Trump won all three states. He defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in Michigan by 10,704 votes out of nearly 4.8 million ballots cast. Stein alleges that irregularities and the potential for hacking into scanning devices call into question the results.

The Michigan recount could start as early as Friday.

Trump's victory is highly unlikely to be reversed in any of the states. But Stein says the recount will ensure the integrity of the election.

Republicans say the recount will cost taxpayers far more than the $973,000 Stein must pay when filing her recount petition.

Wisconsin's elections chief is telling local clerks that he knows they're frustrated with trying to complete a presidential recount in less than two weeks.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein requested the recount. It's slated to begin Thursday and must be completed by Dec. 13 or Congress could gain control of the state's electoral votes.

Commission Administrator Mike Haas held a teleconference with clerks Wednesday to walk them through final preparations.

Twice Haas acknowledged they're unhappy with conducting a recount during the holiday season on behalf of a candidate who got only 30,000 votes in Wisconsin. But he told them he hopes they've accepted that the recount must be conducted, by law, and that it will be done professionally.

The Wisconsin Republican Party alleges that Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein's recount effort in Wisconsin amounts to illegal coordination with Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The state Republican Party filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday. The complaint comes the day before the scheduled start of the recount of Wisconsin's vote, won by Republican Donald Trump by less than 1 percentage point.

The complaint contends that Clinton is the only person who could benefit from a recount and that she appears to have illegally helped Stein raise nearly $7 million for the recounts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Spokeswomen for Stein and Clinton's campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Stein plans to request the recount later Wednesday. She has already requested recounts in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Republican Donald Trump won all three states. He defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in Michigan by 10,704 votes out of nearly 4.8 million ballots cast. Stein alleges that irregularities and the potential for hacking into scanning devices call into question the results.

The Michigan recount could start as early as Friday.

Trump's victory is highly unlikely to be reversed in any of the states. But Stein says the recount will ensure the integrity of the election.

Republicans say the recount will cost taxpayers far more than the $973,000 Stein must pay when filing her recount petition.

Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein will not be appealing a Wisconsin judge's ruling that the state's presidential recount can be done without hand counting every ballot.

Stein spokeswoman Margy Levinson said in an email Wednesday that the ruling made Tuesday night in Dane County Circuit Court would not be appealed. Levinson says given the time constraints, they want to focus resources on the recount that begins Thursday.

The majority of Wisconsin counties planned to do a hand recount of ballots cast even though the judge's ruling means they can choose to feed the ballots into tabulation machines to double check the counts.

Levinson says Stein's focus will be on verifying the vote on the ground and she encourages counties to voluntarily conduct a hand recount.

Wisconsin election officials are set to hold their last meeting with county clerks before launching a presidential recount.

The recount is set to start Thursday. The Wisconsin Election Commission plans to meet with the clerks via teleconference and an online seminar Wednesday morning. The agenda calls for discussing counting procedures, how to treat absentee ballots, how to review provisional ballots and how to track expenses.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein requested the recount, alleging without evidence that the state's electronic voting machines may have been hacked. The commission had to grant that request under state law. Stein also wanted all 72 counties to conduct the recount by hand, but the commission refused to order that and a Dane County judge affirmed that decision late Tuesday evening. </s> “The Commission is preparing to move forward with a statewide recount of votes for President of the United States, as requested by these candidates,” Commission Administrator Michael Haas said in a statement on the agency's website.

The move follows comments by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein earlier on Friday that her push for election recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania was aimed at assessing the integrity of the U.S. voting system, not at undermining Republican Donald Trump's White House victory.

While Stein's effort this week may have spurred hope among disappointed supporters of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, the chances of such recounts - if they take place - overturning the overall result from the Nov. 8 election are extremely slim, given Trump's margins of victory in the three states.

Since launching the recount campaign on Wednesday, Stein has raised more than $5 million. The Green Party said it wants to raise $7 million for the recounts, including the cost of legal fees.

The Green Party has said that despite the millions it has raised to fund the recounts, it could not guarantee any would occur and that if its requests were denied or there were surplus funds, it would use the money to push for voting system reforms.

Stein, who won just 1 percent of the national vote herself, told CNN that while there was no evidence of tampering or other voting errors in the election, only a full review in those states would give Americans confidence in the results.

"This was a hack-riddled election," she said, pointing to hacking before the vote of political organizations and individual email accounts, as well as recent media reports citing concerns by computer security experts.

The deadline to request the Wisconsin recount was Friday afternoon, while for Pennsylvania the deadline is Monday and for Michigan Wednesday.

Wisconsin's Haas said that with a federal deadline of Dec. 13 to complete the recounts, county boards of canvassers might have to work evenings and weekends.

The other petitioner for a recount in the state was third-party candidate Rocky Roque De La Fuente, the commission statement said.

Although Trump won narrowly in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, the margins make it highly unlikely that any recounts would end up giving Clinton a win in all three states, which would be needed for the overall presidential election result to change. Trump beat Clinton in Pennsylvania by 70,010 votes, in Michigan by 10,704 votes and in Wisconsin by 27,257 votes.

The presidential race is decided by the Electoral College, or a tally of wins from the state-by-state contests, rather than by the popular national vote. The Electoral College results are expected to be finalized when electors meet on Dec. 19.

Trump surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed to win, although once the final tallies of votes are in, Clinton will have won the national popular vote by more than 2 million votes.

Asked if she was trying to upset Trump, Stein told CNN "Absolutely not," adding that she also did not back Clinton.

A representative for Trump's transition team on Thursday had no comment on Stein's effort. In a Twitter post on Thursday, senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway cited a New York Times article and mocked Clinton supporters who "can't accept the election results."

Clinton has not commented on Stein's effort, and a representative for her did not reply to a request for comment.
Reform Party nominee Rocky de la Fuente from California and Green Party candidate Jill Stein file recount petitions in the state of Wisconsin.