Judge orders hand recount in Michigan to begin

Count already underway in Wisconsin, still fighting in Pennsylvania

A judge has ordered a hand recount of Michigan’s presidential results to begin by noon Monday, and the Green Party is trying to force a federal court order for a statewide recount in Pennsylvania. 

Green Party candidate Jill Stein is trying to force recounts in three states. The count is underway in Wisconsin. In Nevada, a partial recount of the race was requested by independent presidential candidate Roque De La Fuente. 

Judge Mark Goldsmith issued his ruling early Monday that rejected an effort by Michigan state officials to wait two business days before starting to hand-count about 4.8 million ballots. The move increases the chances that the state could complete the count ahead of a Dec. 13 deadline. 

Stein’s lawyers argued that waiting until Wednesday would cut it too close. 

Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton by 10,704 votes in Michigan. Stein received about 1 percent of the vote.