A partial recount of presidential results in Dane and Milwaukee counties wrapped up Sunday, solidifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win over President Donald Trump. Trump said he is preparing a lawsuit to overturn the results.
Biden gained 166 votes and Trump gained 79 in the counties, which both turned out heavily for the Democratic candidate. Biden’s margin of victory increased to 20,695 votes. Trump’s campaign paid $3 million for the partial recount.
In Dane County, 137 ballots were thrown out because their absentee ballot envelopes were missing a signature or address from a voter or witness, Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell said. Both Biden and Trump lost votes, but Trump had a net gain of 45 votes.
In Milwaukee County, 386 unopened ballots were found, changing the vote totals there. Trump gained 125 votes and Biden gained 257 in the recount.
“The recount demonstrates what we already know: that elections in Milwaukee county are fair, transparent, accurate and secure,” Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson said.
In a tweet Saturday that Twitter flagged as disputed, Trump said he would sue to challenge the outcome.
The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission is set to certify the results on Tuesday. Ann Jacobs, the Democratic chairwoman of the commission, said she planned to start certifying Biden’s victory on Monday to resolve any legal challenges quickly and complete the process Tuesday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Trump’s lawsuits have failed in other battleground states, including Michigan and Pennsylvania. Elections officials across the country have disputed claims of widespread fraud.
“Despite repeated incendiary accusations, there was no evidence of fraud whatsoever. The facts are clear: after ballots were counted and counted again, Joe Biden decisively won Wisconsin by more than 20,000 votes,” Biden for President State Director Danielle Melfi said in a statement.
There are two lawsuits regarding the election before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. One filed by the Wisconsin Voters Alliance seeks to block certification of the results, claiming tens of thousands “illegal” votes were cast despite evidence that voter fraud is rare. Another brought by Wisconsin resident Dean Mueller takes issue with absentee ballot drop boxes.
Both cases ask the court to allow the state legislature, which is controlled by Republicans, to decide how to cast Wisconsin’s electoral votes. The court’s justices have not said whether they would accept the cases.
Legal experts say it is unlikely that the state legislature can interfere with Wisconsin’s electors, and Gov. Tony Evers would be able to veto any such effort, according to Wisconsin Watch.
Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, indicated on Twitter that he would be opposed to legislators interfering with the electoral votes.
