US appeals court refuses to stop Michigan vote recount sought by Jill Stein

Reuters | Updated: Dec 7, 2016, 12:32 PM IST

A worker breaks the seal of the containers before the start of the recount of ballots cast in Oakland County, Michigan from the 2016 US presidential race to be recounted at the Oakland County Schools building on December 5, 2016 in Waterford, Michigan.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, had filed a lawsuit to halt the requested recount.

A federal appeals court refused on Tuesday to stop a recount of the Nov. 8 presidential election vote in Michigan that is being sought by Green Party candidate Jill Stein.

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The ruling by the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld a decision by a lower court judge, came one day after Stein sued in federal court in Pennsylvania to try to force a statewide recount of US presidential votes there.

Stein also pushed for a recount that is under way in Wisconsin, which with Michigan and Pennsylvania, was key to Republican President-elect Donald Trump's victory. The Green Party candidate's moves are unlikely to change the outcome of the election but she has maintained they are necessary to ensure the integrity of voting systems.

Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin defied their recent history of supporting Democratic presidential candidates and handed Trump narrow wins that ultimately gave him victory over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, filed a lawsuit on Friday to halt the requested recount in the state, which Trump won by about 10,700 votes.