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Green Party Members Taking Crash Course In Observing Wisconsin Recount

Attendee: 'It's Going To Be An Exhausting Amount Of Work'

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People recounting ballots
Sue Ogrocki/AP Photo

Green Party members are going through a crash course on how to observe the recount of Wisconsin’s presidential election vote.

About 150 people attended a training session Tuesday night in Muskego where they were given handouts and coaching for what to expect when they watch county clerks across the state conduct the recount.

Tyrone Payton attended the training and said he plans to sign up for several shifts at the recount site in Kenosha County.

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Payton said he realizes the process may be tiring, but it’s necessary.

“It’s going to be an exhausting amount of work,” Payton. “Mentally, it’s going to be taxing. I’m going to be working full-time and during my off-time, along with other people working full-time – they’re going to be doing as much as they can to participate to make sure this is completed.”

Lawyers for Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein urged the recount observers to be polite and not interfere with the ballot counting.

Robert Fitrakis, attorney for the Stein campaign, urged people to be assertive.

“Obviously, we’re going to be polite and we’re not allowed to interfere in any way with the counting,” Fitrakis said. “But we are allowed and you must insist that you have the right to observe every ballot counted.”

Fitrakis also urged observers to object when they think they see something done incorrectly and then contact the Green Party recount headquarters being set up in Madison.

The Green Party is trying to sign up more people for shifts at the recount sites. The campaign for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is also asking supporters to watch the recount.

The Green Party will hold another recount training session Wednesday evening in Madison. The recount begins Thursday.

On Tuesday night, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn ruled against Stein’s call for a hand recount of the election in all of Wisconsin’s 72 counties.

Stein and her campaign have said it’s important to find out whether hacking of voting machines affected the election’s outcome, but there’s been no evidence to suggest any machines were compromised. Each county will decide how to conduct a recount, which has a $3.5 million price tag.

Michael Haas, administrator of the state Elections Commission, said Tuesday evening that 19 counties plan to use machines in their recount efforts and 53 will conduct a hand recount.