LANSING, Mich. – Attorney General Bill Schuette announced Friday that he filed a lawsuit on behalf of the people of Michigan to stop a request by Green Party candidate Jill Stein to recount the state’s presidential election results by hand.
The suit asks the Michigan Court of Appeals to order the Michigan Board of Canvassers to reject the request and says that the Michigan statute authorizing recounts requires the petitioning candidate to demonstrate that she was “aggrieved” by fraud or mistake.
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[The full suit is available below]
“Michigan voters rejected Stein’s candidacy by massive margins but her refusal to accept that state-verified result poses an expensive and risky threat to hard-working taxpayers and abuses the intent of Michigan law,” said Schuette. “We have asked the court to end the recount which Stein is pursuing in violation of Michigan laws that protect the integrity of our elections. It is inexcusable for Stein to put Michigan voters at risk of paying millions and potentially losing their voice in the Electoral College in the process.”
Schuette also filed an emergency motion with the Michigan Supreme Court asking to bypass the Court of Appeals for immediate consideration.
Michigan's elections board considered President-elect Donald Trump's request to block the hand recount of all 4.8 million ballots cast in the state he won by about 10,700 votes over Hillary Clinton.
READ: Michigan board to hear Trump's challenge to recount effort
Schuette say the Secretary of State estimates the recount to be as much as $5 million.