HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is taking her bid for a statewide recount of Pennsylvania’s Nov. 8 presidential election to federal court.

After announcing Stein and recount supporters were dropping their case in state court, lawyer Jonathan Abady said they will seek an emergency federal court order Monday.

“Make no mistake — the Stein campaign will continue to fight for a statewide recount in Pennsylvania,” Abady said in a statement Saturday night. “We are committed to this fight to protect the civil and voting rights of all Americans.”

He said barriers to a recount in Pennsylvania are pervasive and the state court system is ill-equipped to address the problem.

Stein has spearheaded a recount effort in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, three states with a history of backing Democrats for president that were narrowly and unexpectedly won by Republican Donald Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Stein has framed the campaign as an effort to explore whether voting machines and systems had been hacked and the election result manipulated. Stein’s lawyers, however, have offered no evidence of hacking in Pennsylvania’s election, and the state Republican Party and Trump had asked the court to dismiss the state court case.

The recount-campaign decision came two days before a state court hearing was scheduled in the case. Saturday’s court filing to withdraw the case said the Green Party-backed voters who filed it “are regular citizens of ordinary means” and cannot afford the $1 million bond ordered by the court by 5 p.m. Monday.

Meanwhile, Green Party-backed efforts to force recounts and analyze election software in scattered precincts were continuing.

A recount began Thursday in Wisconsin, while a recount could begin this week in Michigan.

Trump’s victory in Pennsylvania was particularly stunning: the state’s fifth-most electoral votes are a key stepping stone to the White House, and no Republican presidential candidate had captured the state since 1988.

In seeking the recount, Stein has noted hackers’ probing of election targets in other states and hackers’ accessing the emails of the Democratic National Committee and several Clinton staffers. U.S. security officials have said they believe Russian hackers orchestrated the email hacks, something Russia has denied.

Lawyers for Trump and the Pennsylvania Republican Party argued there was no evidence, or even an allegation, that tampering with the state’s voting systems had occurred. Further, Pennsylvania law does not allow a court-ordered recount, they said.

The state case also had threatened Pennsylvania’s ability to certify its presidential electors by the Dec. 13 federal deadline, Republican lawyers argued.

GOP lawyer Lawrence Tabas said Saturday the case had been meant “solely for purposes to delay the Electoral College vote in Pennsylvania for President-Elect Trump.”

The state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Pedro Cortes, a Democrat, has said there was no evidence of any cyberattacks or irregularities in the election. And any recount would change few votes, Cortes predicted.

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/author/marc-levy </s> Jill Stein Campaign Plans To Take Pennsylvania Recount Effort To Federal Court

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The Jill Stein campaign plans to bring her fight for a statewide ballot recount in Pennsylvania to federal court.

Jonathan Abady, lead counsel to Stein's recount efforts, said in a statement late Saturday that starting Monday, the campaign will "file for emergency relief in federal court, demanding a statewide recount on constitutional grounds."

"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," Abady said.

Just hours earlier, Lawrence M. Otter, a lawyer for the former Green Party presidential candidate, had withdrawn the lawsuit filed with the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania early Saturday evening.

"Petitioners are regular citizens of ordinary means," the filing states. "They cannot afford to post the $1,000,000 bond required by the Court."

Stein elaborated on Twitter, asking: "How odd is it that we must jump through bureaucratic hoops and raise millions of dollars so we can trust our election results?"

In addition, the Stein campaign will pursue the county-by-county recount effort in Pennsylvania, Stein's lawyer, Lawrence Otter, tells The Philadelphia Inquirer.

"That requires efforts in individual precincts â€” a process that requires three voters to petition their local election boards.

"In the region, a recount in Philadelphia is already underway in 75 of the city's more than 1,600 divisions. Judges in Bucks and Delaware counties will hear arguments this week on whether to grant recounts, Otter said."

Last month, Stein launched a fundraising campaign to pursue a recount in Pennsylvania, as well as in Michigan and Wisconsin â€” three states President-elect Donald Trump narrowly won en route to his Electoral College victory. That campaign â€” which sought to "ensure the integrity of our elections," according to her website â€” proved wildly successful, raking in nearly $7 million in donations to fund the former candidate's efforts.

Stein subsequently filed her request for a statewide recount in Pennsylvania on Monday, just days after she officially requested a recount in Wisconsin. In Michigan, where Trump was certified the winner only last week, the situation proved to be a bit more complicated: Stein requested a recount there â€” only to have her request tangled by an objection from the Trump campaign. After the state's Board of State Canvassers deadlocked on the issue Friday, the Detroit Free Press reports a hand recount in Michigan appears set to proceed next week.

Hillary Clinton's campaign reluctantly said it would participate in the proceedings, "to ensure our campaign is legally represented," according to campaign lawyer Marc Erik Elias.

At this time, there is no indication that Stein's campaign plans to drop its efforts in Wisconsin â€” where The Associated Press reports a recount is already underway â€” or in Michigan.

Stein plans to hold a rally and press conference Monday outside Trump Tower in New York City. </s> A federal judge is rejecting a Green Party-backed request to recount paper ballots in Pennsylvania's presidential election, won by Republican Donald Trump, and scan some counties' election systems for signs of hacking.

The rejection by U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond on Monday is the latest roadblock to a Pennsylvania recount.

It is part of a broader effort by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein to recount votes in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump won all three states narrowly over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump beat Clinton in Pennsylvania by about 44,000 votes out of 6 million cast.

A federal judge halted Michigan's recount. The Wisconsin recount was expected to conclude Monday. With about 95 percent of the votes recounted, Clinton had gained 25 votes on Trump but still trailed by about 22,000. </s> A federal judge is rejecting a Green Party-backed request to recount paper ballots in Pennsylvania’s presidential election, won by Republican Donald Trump, and scan some counties’ election systems for signs of hacking.

The rejection by U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond on Monday is the latest roadblock to a Pennsylvania recount.

It is part of a broader effort by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein to recount votes in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump won all three states narrowly over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump beat Clinton in Pennsylvania by about 44,000 votes out of 6 million cast.

A federal judge halted Michigan’s recount. The Wisconsin recount was expected to conclude Monday. With about 95 percent of the votes recounted, Clinton had gained 25 votes on Trump but still trailed by about 22,000. </s> Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein dropped a request for a state court vote recount in Pennsylvania because petitioners could not afford the $1mn bond required (AFP Photo/JUSTIN SULLIVAN)

Washington (AFP) - Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein switched tactics in her campaign to force a recount in Pennsylvania, one of three battleground states won by Donald Trump where she has challenged the results.

The party dropped a bid to pursue the recount in a state court, citing difficulties raising a million dollar bond demanded by the tribunal. It said it would instead press on in federal court and file suit Monday.

That was also Stein's deadline for raising the bond money.

"Make no mistake -— the Stein campaign will continue to fight for a statewide recount in Pennsylvania," attorney Jonathan Abady said in a statement.

"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," Abady said.

"Petitioners are regular citizens of ordinary means. They cannot afford to post the $1,000,000 bond required by the court," read a filing submitted earlier in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, announcing the state court drive was being dropped.

Stein plans to hold a rally on Monday across the street from Trump Tower in New York "vowing to fight tooth and nail to verify the accuracy, security and fairness of the vote," a statement read.

On Twitter, she added: "How odd is it that we must jump through bureaucratic hoops and raise millions of dollars so we can trust our election results? #Recount2016.

"#Recount2016 is so expensive because of elected leaders who have refused to invest in a 21st-century voting system," she said.

Stein's fundraising efforts for recounts in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin have brought in nearly $7 million so far, according to her website. In all three traditionally Democratic-leaning states, Trump only narrowly defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Her recount request in Pennsylvania was complicated by opposition from Trump. Michigan's attorney general filed suit to halt Stein's recounts efforts in that state. And in Wisconsin, Trump supporters tried to stop the recount but it is underway.

Stein's campaign has cited unspecified "anomalies" as grounds to mount a challenge in all three Rust Belt states.

The move came amid stepped-up calls from some of the president-elect's leftist opponents to challenge the results of the November 8 election, which followed a bitter campaign that included persistent charges of Russian hacking and allegations by Trump of fraud.

Although experts say there is virtually no chance of overturning the result, the demands could reignite debate over the legitimacy of Trump's election, already fueled by Clinton's lead in the popular vote which now stands at around 2.5 million.

Trump has stated without offering evidence that "millions" of people voted illegally and that were it not for this he would have won the popular vote as well. </s> A US judge in Pennsylvania on Monday rejected Green Party candidate Jill Stein’s request for a recount of the state’s ballots in last month’s presidential election and an examination of voting machines for evidence of hacking.

The decision came on the same day that Wisconsin election officials expect to complete that state’s recount, although the results will not change the outcome.

Ms Stein, who finished fourth in the election behind president-elect Donald Trump, had challenged the results in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. All of those traditionally Democratic strongholds supported Mr Trump, the Republican candidate, on November 8th.

In a 31-page opinion, US district judge Paul Diamond in Philadelphia said there was no evidence suggesting hacking had occurred. He also emphasised that the deadline to certify the state’s electoral votes is Tuesday, making it impossible to hold a recount in time. Mr Diamond said “suspicion of a ‘hacked’ Pennsylvania election borders on the irrational.” Ms Stein could appeal the court’s decision. Her campaign did not immediately comment.

The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday denied Ms Stein’s last-ditch appeal to secure a recount there.

Even if all three recounts had taken place, it was considered highly unlikely that they would flip the overall result from Mr Trump to Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton.

US presidential elections are determined not by the overall national popular vote but by the Electoral College, which awards votes based on the outcome in each state. Mrs Clinton won the popular vote by more than 2.6 million ballots nationwide, according to the latest count. </s> Green Party candidate Jill Stein late on 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.

“The Stein campaign will continue to fight for a State-wide recount in Pennsylvania,” Jonathan Abady, lead counsel to Ms. Stein’s recount efforts, said in a statement.

The Stein campaign said it will file for emergency relief in the Pennsylvania effort in federal court on Monday, “demanding a State-wide recount on constitutional grounds.”

The bond was set by the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania a day after representatives of President-elect Donald Trump requested a $10 million bond, according to court papers.

The court gave the petitioners until 5 p.m. local time (2200 GMT) on Monday to post the bond, but said it could modify the amount if shown good cause. Instead, Ms. Stein’s campaign withdrew.

“Petitioners are regular citizens of ordinary means. They cannot afford to post the $1,000,000 bond required by the court,” wrote attorney Lawrence Otter, informing the court of the decision to withdraw. Ms. Stein, who garnered about one per cent of the presidential vote on Nov. 8, has also sought recounts in Michigan and Wisconsin. — Reuters </s> Stein on Saturday cited a major cost placed on voters due to a state court ruling that says the voters requesting the recount must pay a $1 million bond. But shortly after midnight Sunday Stein tweeted about plans to continue on the recount bid.

"On Monday, I will escalate #Recount2016 in PA and file to demand a statewide recount on constitutional grounds. The people deserve answers," she wrote.

A statement from the Stein campaign shortly after said it will file a lawsuit in federal court Monday seeking a statewide recount.

"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," said Jonathan Abady, lead counsel to the Stein recount efforts. "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."

Stein earlier in the weekend had taken aim at procedural hurdles at the state level. "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. "This is yet another sign that Pennsylvania's antiquated election law is stacked against voters. By demanding a $1 million bond from voters yesterday, the court made clear it has no interest in giving a fair hearing to these voters' legitimate concerns over the accuracy, security and fairness of an election tainted by suspicion." Stein campaign spokeswoman Jordan Brueckner later clarified Saturday that while petitioners withdrew their case for a statewide recount, recounts in hundreds of precincts in some Pennsylvania counties -- including Philadelphia, Allegheny and Lehigh -- will continue. The campaign is also still pushing for forensic audits of voting machine software in the state. Stein tweeted that the expense of the recount was caused by elected leaders. "#Recount2016 is so expensive because of elected leaders who have refused to invest in a 21st-century voting system." #Recount2016 is so expensive because of elected leaders who have refused to invest in a 21st-century voting system. — Dr. Jill Stein (@DrJillStein) December 4, 2016 "This is about responding to the American voters who are standing up and saying, 'We deserve an election system that we can trust, and that is accurate, that is secure against hacking, against human error, against machine error, and in which the votes are being counted.' Because right now, it's not clear that all the votes are being counted," Stein said on "Fox News Sunday." Stein denied that the more than $6.5 million she's raised for the recount -- far more than the nearly $900,000 she collected for her 2012 presidential campaign and the $2.5 million she raised in 2016 as the Green Party nominee -- is a list-building fundraising scheme. "This money is going strictly into a segregated account which can only be spent on the recount. So, this money is entirely, will be completely used, and we'll be lucky if we can cover the costs," she said. Trump disagreed, tweeting Sunday afternoon, "The Green Party just dropped its recount suit in Pennsylvania and is losing votes in Wisconsin recount. Just a Stein scam to raise money!" The Green Party just dropped its recount suit in Pennsylvania and is losing votes in Wisconsin recount. Just a Stein scam to raise money! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016 Stein has spearheaded a recount effort in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin -- three battleground states where Donald Trump narrowly defeated Hillary Clinton. Pennsylvania is not the only state where recount efforts are running into opposition. Michigan's attorney general, a Republican, filed a suit to stop a recount in his state Friday and Trump supporters in Wisconsin this week have also tried to stop the recount in progress there. Stein raised nearly $7 million to fund the recount efforts, following news that security experts alerted Clinton's campaign to the possibility of hacks in key counties in those states. Despite the fact there's been no credible evidence so far of election tampering, Stein has maintained in recent interviews -- including with CNN -- "you cannot tell unless you're actually counting paper votes." Clinton's campaign has sent its lawyers to participate in the recount process to "ensure that it is fair to all sides," Marc Elias, the campaign's counsel, wrote in a post on Medium earlier this week. Trump has dismissed the recount efforts as a "scam." This story has been updated. </s> HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Green Party says it will ask a Pennsylvania court to order a statewide recount of the state's Nov. 8 presidential election result.

But it's unclear if the courts would have authority to do so.

A lawyer for Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein wouldn't discuss what would be alleged in the expected lawsuit Monday.

Republican President-elect Donald Trump edged Democrat Hillary Clinton by about 71,000 votes, or about 1 , in Pennsylvania.

Democratic Secretary of State Pedro Cortes says there's no evidence of voting irregularities or cyberattacks on Pennsylvania's electronic voting machines.

A GOP lawyer says the courts lack authority to order a statewide recount. Cortes says he's also unaware of the courts having authority to do so.

Voters can still ask for a precinct-level recount in certain counties.
Jill Stein's bid to force a recount of the presidential election results in the state of Pennsylvania is rejected by a federal judge.