US Presidential Elections 2016 recount news update: Jillian Stein withdraws Pennsylvania recount bid
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein has dropped her petition to conduct a state-wide recount of votes cast in Pennsylvania during the U.S. presidential election.
Based on court documents made available on Saturday, Dec. 3, the bid was withdrawn after a judge ordered Stein's camp to post $1 million as bond by Monday. The amount, which was set by the state's Commonwealth Court, is a modification of the $10 million bond requested by representatives of President-elect Donald Trump.
Stein's campaign decided to withdraw, citing that they could not afford the required bond. Attorney Lawrence Otter's letter addressed to the court reads, "Petitioners are regular citizens of ordinary means. They cannot afford to post the $1,000,000 bond required by the court."
Stein, who got only one percent of presidential votes, said in a statement, as reported by Reuters, "The judge's outrageous demand that voters pay such an exorbitant figure is a shameful, unacceptable barrier to democratic participation." She is set to hold on Monday a previously scheduled news conference at Trump Tower in New York City, where is expected to announce her next steps in her recount campaign.
Stein has also sought for the recount of votes in Michigan and Wisconsin. In all three states, Trump won by a narrow margin over Hillary Clinton during the Nov. 8 election.
Meanwhile, Trump supporters have filed lawsuits seeking to stop the recount activities in the three states, citing that such would unnecessarily cost the public millions of dollars.
Last Friday, a federal court in Wisconsin denied a request for a temporary restraining order on the ongoing recount. U.S. District Judge James Peterson rejected the motion based on the argument that no harm is seen in allowing the recount to carry on while the filed lawsuit is being processed.
Wisconsin has until Dec. 13 to certify the votes to avoid a situation wherein the Congress will have to decide on what to do with its ballots. In accordance with the federal law, recounts must be completed within 35 days after the election.
In Michigan, the elections board deadlocked on Friday, with its two Democrat members moving to push through with the recount, and the Republicans voting otherwise. Unless the Court of Appeals and state Supreme courts intervene, recount in Michigan will commence on Tuesday or Wednesday.
The general expectation is that the recounts, even if they push through in all three states, is unlikely to overturn the results for the presidential bid.
