Tuesday brought the news, via New York Magazine, that a group of "prominent computer scientists and election lawyers" had told Hillary Clinton's camp that she should ask for a vote recount in three swing states—Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania—due to the possibility results "may have been manipulated or hacked." A series of reports Wednesday threw cold water on the theory. That hasn't dissuaded Jill Stein, or her followers, from picking up the ball: BuzzFeed reports that the Green Party presidential candidate on Thursday morning—and within fewer than 24 hours of trying—raised the $2.5 million she was looking for to cover the hefty filing fees for a recount in the aforementioned states, "where the data suggests a significant need to verify machine-counted vote totals," per the fundraising page. The filing deadline for Wisconsin is Friday.
As of this writing, her fundraising total stands at $2.67 million. The individual filing fees are: $1.1 million for Wisconsin, $600,000 for Michigan, and $500,000 for Pennsylvania. The fundraising page explains any recount cost would be borne by the state, but attorneys' fees and recount observers would bring the amount Stein needs to the $6 million-to-$7 million range. NBC News notes that after hitting $2.5 million, the fundraising goal on the page was changed to $4.5 million. The push to secure a recount "is not intended to help Hillary Clinton," the campaign tells BuzzFeed. "These recounts are part of an election integrity movement to attempt to shine a light on just how untrustworthy the US election system is." (More Jill Stein stories.)