If the final cost is higher, Stein’s campaign would have to pay for it. But if it is less, she would be refunded the difference. Those expenses aren’t expected to be finalized until the end of December. The next largest Stein expense, more than $1.6 million, was for legal fees.
Wisconsin was the only state that completed a recount, finishing Monday with little change in the results. Trump beat Clinton by nearly 23,000 votes in the state. A federal court halted Michigan’s recount after three days and another federal judge didn’t allow a recount in Pennsylvania.
Leftover funds from election recount efforts to be donated, says Jill Stein. MADISON, Wis. — Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein said Tuesday that she will donate any money left over from her bids to force election recounts in three states to groups dedicated to election reform and voting rights.
Shortly after the 2016 election, Jill Stein raised more than $7 million from shell-shocked liberals eager to pursue a swing-state recount. Nearly two years later, the U.S. Green Party’s last candidate for president is still spending that money.
Jonathan S. Abady, an attorney with Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP, the New York-based firm that represents Stein and her campaign, told The Daily Beast that legal efforts on the recount persist to this day.
As the Center for Responsive Politics has noted, U.S. law dictates that funds raised for a recount “only go toward expenses directly related to the recount , such as paying state staff that counts the votes or any other administrative or overhead payments, as well as post-election litigation.”.
In September 2017, Carl Romanelli, a former Green Party candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania, was also paid $2,000 that month, plus $272.50 in travel, for “Recount Organizing Services,” according to the FEC filing. During the campaign, Romanelli worked as a “ State Organizer ” and “ Field Organizer ,” per reports filed with the FEC.
The last FEC filing from the Stein campaign was for the month of September 2017. And the last update from the campaign itself came in a post on April 20, in which it said it was down to $932,178 in recount funds.
According to Stein’s April 20 update, more than $363,900 has been spent on “Media” even though, in 2016, donors were told that media expenses “ could go up to $300K. ” Other costs are more in line with predictions. By 2018, the campaign had spent $820,000 on “Travel and Events, “Staff support,”and “Recount observer costs.”.
The Green Party candidate last filed a form with the FEC since September 2017. And it looks likely that there won’t be a vote on how to use the unspent recount funds.