MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The Wisconsin Assembly has approved a bill that would limit election recounts following Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein’s 2016 request.
The measure passed on a voice vote Wednesday grew out of anger following Stein’s request for a recount last year even though she finished fourth in Wisconsin.
Under the Republican bill, only candidates who trail the winner by 1 percentage point or less in statewide elections could petition for a recount. Democrat Hillary Clinton lost to Republican Donald Trump by less than that margin in Wisconsin, but Stein - not Clinton - requested the recount.
Democrats argued unsuccessfully that if a candidate is willing to pay for a recount, there’s no reason to bar them from doing it.
Gov. Scott Walker has signaled his support for the measure.
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