Finally! The epic court battle we’ve been waiting for.

When we decided to initiate a recount, together with over 10,000 volunteers and 161,000 donors, we knew it wouldn’t be easy.

But we had little idea how hard the political establishment would fight against transparent, accountable elections.

In Michigan, Trump’s GOP cronies stopped the recount despite - or maybe because of - revelations about major problems with the vote count, particularly in under-resourced black and brown communities.

In Wisconsin, although the law was on our side, many low-income communities of color most vulnerable to tampering never got the hand recount needed to verify the vote.

But the worst mess was in Pennsylvania, where over 80% of voters use touch-screen machines with no tangible paper backup. These paperless voting machines are so vulnerable to hacking and so difficult to verify that they have been banned in most states.

To make things worse, Pennsylvania law makes it virtually impossible for citizens to know whether their votes are actually counted. Thousands of volunteers mobilized in days to petition for recounts - only to be thwarted by a nightmare of bureaucracy.

This is the sorry state of democracy in America today. 240 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, we do not have a voting system where we can insure that the results are legitimate - unlike most Western democracies, where recounts are routine in close elections.

We are determined to end this travesty, and to leverage the lessons of the recount to win concrete, urgently needed voting justice reforms.

At the very outset of the recount, we filed a federal lawsuit declaring the state of Pennsylvania is failing to protect its citizens’ constitutional right to vote. That suit has finally come up for a hearing, enabling us to utilize our volunteers’ painstaking work to challenge Pennsylvania’s regime of undemocratic, non-transparent and unaccountable elections.

While lobbyist-dominated legislatures regularly block progress on voting justice, we’ve seen major court wins in recent years, like the recent decision against North Carolina’s racist gerrymandering.

Now our landmark Pennsylvania lawsuit is an opportunity not only to fix one state’s seriously marred system, but to score a major victory that will raise the bar for voting justice in every state.

Finally, we can tell all in the epic court battle we’ve been waiting for.

Moving forward with the Pennsylvania lawsuit honors our commitment to use recount dollars for litigation at the heart of the recount battle, which could lead to lasting reforms.

This lawsuit is estimated to cost between $500,000 and $1 million. If successful, we can recoup a substantial portion of the costs. Fortunately, with $1.49 million refunded by Wisconsin, and a possible refund from Michigan, resources should suffice for existing lawsuits, and to fund grassroots action for voting justice. Stay tuned for a full budget update.

As our donors know, any surplus funds available after completing the recount litigation, will be put to a ranked choice vote in which the donors will help determine how to best allocate those funds to advance the cause of voting justice in America.

With democracy under assault from so many directions - from the decades-long rise of money in politics, to “irregularities” in the Democratic primary, to Donald Trump’s misleading charges of voter fraud - it’s more important than ever that we continue to fight for elections we can trust, that are accurate, secure and just! We thank our donors for leading the charge.

It’s in our hands!

Jill Stein

Watch GNN's Inaugurate the Resistance

10 a.m. - 5 p.m., January 21

Occupy Inauguration Weekend 

Tune in all day on Saturday, January 21st as we "Inaugurate the Resistance" on Facebook Live and here on the Jill2016 site.

You resisted  the neoliberalism of Hillary Clinton and the neofascism of Donald Trump. Thank you! The resistance against Trump and the failed corporate two-party system continues even before he is inaugurated, and will continue afterwards as well.

The recounts in MI, PA and WI helped to reinvigorated the movement for election integrity. We will continue to fight to ensure that every vote counts.

In addition to the recount we are resisting corporate rule through protest.

On January 20th, we will join thousands of people and organizations from around the country in Washington DC to Occupy Inauguration - sending a message to Trump that we reject his dangerous presidency from the very start.

On January 21st - day one of the Trump administration - we’ll be on Facebook Live with an all-day online forum featuring Greens, social movements, and progressives, sharing resources and inspiration to support resistance and transformation.

We do not consent to Trump’s regime of hate, fear, and corruption.  

We will oppose oligarchy with democracy. And we will build an unstoppable movement whose time has come, to put people, planet, and peace over profit.

Join us! Please see schedule of this coming weekend’s events below

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Fri​, Jan 20 - Occupy Inauguration

9:30am ET Rally at Malcolm X Park (aka Meridian Hill Park)

2400 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20009​.

Speakers include:

Jumping Buffalo (Standing Rock)

Asa Khalif (Black Lives Matter)

Charles Eisenstein (​author, ​Gift Economics)

Jill Stein (​2016 Green Party Presidential Nominee)

​George Friday (Move To Amend​)

Daniel Curcio (The Equality Coalition)​

Head Roc - ​(Rap Artist named "Mayor of DC Hip Hop")

IIYC Reps​ (International Indigenous Youth Council)

Red Dawn Foster (Standing Rock, #FreeRedFawn)

Lindsey Disler ​(​United ​Students Against ​Sweatshops​)

We will then march to McPherson Square, located at intersection of 5th St & K Street N​W​, Washington, DC and rally with our colleagues from Disrupt J20 at a "Festival of Resistance."

There will be additional speakers, musicians, poets and performers. The marches and rallies will be peaceful, and have permits issued by the National Park Service and the DC Police.

12:00pm ​ET Inaugural Address by soon to be President Trump

Immediately afterward Jill Stein and Seattle City Council member Kshama ​will deliver "The People's Response," which can be viewed on the Green News Network. Tune in online to hear these powerful women at https://www.facebook.com/drjillstein

Sat​​, Jan 21

10:00am-5:00pm ET - "Inaugurate the Resistance"

Jill, her running mate Ajamu Baraka, and campaign manager David Cobb will co-host a "Movement Telethon" brought to you by the Green News Network.

Tune in online to https://www.facebook.com/drjillstein​ ​to hear voices from across the movement​. ​

5:30pm-7:30pm ET - "Inaugurate the Resistance: How Do We Defeat Trump, Right Populism *and* Neoliberalism?"

Confirmed speakers are Jill Stein, Kshama Sawant, Chris Hedges, Chase Iron Eyes, and Tim Canova.

Building our political power is a key element of the political revolution we so desperately need, and so richly deserve. We build real power through elections, through protest and through resistance.

Thank you for supporting our campaign. And please continue to support the Green Party as we struggle against corporate rule to put people, planet and peace over profit.

It’s in our hands,

Jill Stein

In 2017: Occupy. Resist. Build Power.

The 2016 Presidential election has left our nation reeling.

Why the Green Party Continues to Demand Presidential Recounts 

And how we are working to make our electoral system work for all of us.

By David Cobb
The Nation, December 21, 2016

Presidential recounts are not about changing election results. At least, that is not their primary purpose. At their core, recounts are about ensuring confidence in the integrity of the voting system.

It is unfortunate, if not all that surprising, that the two largest corporate-controlled political parties have chosen to stand in the way of these grassroots-demanded recounts—in the case of Republicans, actively blocking them in the courts; in the case of Democrats, capitulating in their refusal to push for them. In an election marked by so many irregularities, public distrust and outright evidence of hacking, Americans deserve to know now more than ever that the election was accurate and secure.

That is the ultimate goal of this and every recount: to restore confidence in our elections and trust in our democracy.

Consider the 2004 recount, for example. As the Green Party candidate for president that year, I led efforts to organize recounts in Ohio and New Mexico, in the wake of widespread complaints about the obstruction of legitimate voters, mostly in majority-black precincts, and tampering with computer voting machines on Election Day. The Libertarian nominee Michael Badnarik supported our efforts, but the Democrats, led by nominee John Kerry, were silent. 

Read more

Listen to the December 13 Press Call

Jill Stein has done the nation a tremendous public service

By Jonathan S. Abady and Ilann M. Maazel, Washington Post, December 15 at 7:57 PM

But the recount would only be futile if we, as Americans, ignored the lessons of the past weeks and preserved the status quo that is our broken voting system.

Read more

Op-Ed: Recounts should be the norm, not the exception

By Carsten Schürmann, Jari Kickbusch
Los Angeles Times, December 12, 2016

Jill Stein, her supporters and a group of experts struggled mightily to get proper recounts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. They were accused of paranoia and of simply wasting time.

Why is it so difficult, and so controversial, to get the results of a U.S. presidential election inspected and verified? Audits should be mandatory in all states; in fact, they’re part of the foundation of a healthy democracy.

Recounts not only are important for finding proof that voting machines were misconfigured or hacked. In a meaningful recount, evidence representing the voter’s intent is compared against the published vote totals. Even if a recount proves that everything went as intended, it’s a way to reassure the public — especially the losing side — that the announced winner of the election is legitimate. 

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Recount Updates

Jill Stein: Trump Humiliated by Losing Popular Vote

 

Published at Bloomberg News, January 27

Jan.27 -- Jill Stein, 2016 Green Party presidential candidate, discusses President Donald Trump's claims of voter fraud and the future of health care in the United States. She speaks on "Bloomberg Surveillance."

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Green Partiers Call Standing Rock Pipeline Fight ‘The Issue of Our Time’

Bernie Sanders delegate and Native American political activist Allison Renville, center, speaks on a panel at the Progressive Unity Summit. Madina Toure/Observer

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Former Green Party presidential candidates Jill Stein and Ralph Nader told a Native American political activist at the Progressive Unity Summit yesterday afternoon that the fight to block the Dakota Access Pipeline from running upriver of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation  is “the issue of our time”—and will require collaboration from everyone.

The $3.7 billion, 1,172-mile pipeline would connect the Bakken and Three Forks production areas in North Dakota and Pakota, Illinois, and pass just north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota, crossing under the Missouri River—the reservation’s only source of water. In response to a question from an American Indian activist in the audience, Nader noted that he visited the Sioux reservation and many of the reservations in 1955—and that Standing Rock activist Winona LaDuke was his running mate in 2000 and had her speak on the radio about the issue a few weeks ago.

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Jill Stein, Chase Iron Eyes and Tim Canova Trace the Path Forward for Progressives

Posted at Truthdig.com on Jan 23, 2017

By Donald Kaufman

On Saturday, 2016 presidential candidate Jill Stein spoke with law professor Tim Canova at the Green Party’s Inaugurate the Resistance event at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza in Washington, D.C. They considered whether the Democratic Party is reformable and debated the importance of its progressive wing. Their discussion also covered the future of the two dominant parties and the importance of grass-roots movements.

At that same event, Chase Iron Eyes, an American Indian activist and member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, explored the importance of nonviolent resistance, the assault on Native American culture and women, and the situation on the ground in North Dakota concerning the Dakota Access pipeline.

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‘The Veil Has Come Off’—Jill Stein Rallies Occupiers After Trump Inauguration

Originally published at observer.com

Dr. Jill Stein, the 2016 Green Party presidential candidate, spoke at the Occupy Inauguration “Inaugurate the Resistance” event. Madina Toure/Observer

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein told a crowd of supporters last night that President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday represented a “scary” moment in the country’s history—but said she was glad that the “veil has come off” and people are starting to turn against the“predatory bipartisan political system.”

Stein made the remarks at Occupy Inauguration‘s “Inaugurate the Resistance” event at Almas Temple. Just hours before, 500,000 people turned up in the nation’s capital for the Women’s March on Washington to protest the Republican agenda on healthcare, immigrant and the rights of racial and sexual minorities.

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In 2017: Occupy. Resist. Build Power.

The 2016 Presidential election has left our nation reeling.

Donald Trump’s shock victory is the result of the massive failure of the corporate two-party system, which imposed a whiteout on progressive and independent campaigns while producing the most disliked and untrusted major-party candidates in history.

This toxic election has delivered a uniquely toxic result: right wing extremists, bigots and blowhards will take control of government starting in January, casting a distressing shadow over our future.

As the two-party system hits rock bottom, momentous grassroots struggles are being waged outside the political establishment: at Standing Rock, in the Black Lives Matter movement, the Fight for 15,and more. In these emerging political spaces, we can make this breaking point for the establishment a tipping point towards a new politics for people, planet, and peace over profit.

Greens are uniquely positioned to help lead the way.  

From Dreamers and student debtors to pipeline resisters, people are building their voices and power in the streets. Our campaign was honored to stand with these movements on the frontlines.

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Letter to Department of Justice

EMERY CELLI BRINCKERHOFF & ABADY LLP ATTORNEYS AT LAW
600 FIFTH AVENUE AT ROCKEFELLER CENTER 10 TH FLOOR
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10020

 

December 23, 2016

Attorney General Loretta Lynch
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20530

Re: Election integrity

Dear Attorney General Lynch:

We are counsel to Jill Stein and the Stein Campaign in connection with the recounts she sought in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. We write to urge the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into the integrity of our nation’s election system generally, and our nation’s voting machines specifically, based on the information we discovered in the course of this representation. The attempted recount process has uncovered that voting machines relied on in these states and across the country are prone to human and machine error, especially in under-resourced black and brown communities, and vulnerable to tampering and hacking. The recount also found that the states’ efforts to protect their systems may be insufficient, particularly in low-income communities and communities of color. Each of these grave concerns warrants federal intervention.

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With Multi-State Presidential Recount Over, Stein Campaign Ends Fundraising Drive

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, December 13 2016 

With Multi-State Presidential Recount Over, Stein Campaign Ends Fundraising Drive

Historic Push Raises Over $7.3 Million from 161,000 Small Donors in Under Three Weeks;

Average Donation of $45

(New York, NY) – The Stein campaign announced this morning that it has ended a historic two and a half-week fundraising drive that paid for presidential recount efforts in three states: Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. The grassroots push raised an approximate total of $7.33 million from nearly 161,300 donors across the nation, representing the largest-ever people-powered effort to verify the vote of a presidential election in American history. The average donation was $45.43, with roughly three-quarters of all donations under $100.

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Dr. Jill Stein Responds to Wisconsin Completing Statewide Recount

For Immediate Release: Monday, December 12, 2016

The below statement can be attributed to Dr. Jill Stein:

“With the recount finished in Wisconsin, we applaud the countless workers and observers who helped ensure a full recount throughout the state. We however remain disappointed that not all counties conducted a full hand recount, which is considered the “gold standard.” While we were able to beat back efforts by Trump and the GOP to stop the recount, the refusal by some of the largest and most important counties in the state to conduct a hand recount, undermined the ability to get an accurate recount. In fact, Milwaukee County, the largest and the most socio-economically, racially and ethnically diverse county in the state, declined a hand recount, and given the discoveries in Michigan, it is imperative to examine if voters in that county encountered machine errors, manipulations and voter issues on Election Day.

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Stein Campaign: Court’s Decision to Block Statewide Recount, Forensic Audit of Voting Machines Disenfranchises PA Voters

For Immediate Release: Monday, December 12, 2016

New York Times: Recount Rules ‘Arcane and Confusing,’ a ‘Political Horror Show’

As Doubt Over Security, Accuracy of Election Mounts, Stein Calls for President’s ‘Full Review’ to Include All Serious Threats to Election Integrity

(Philadelphia, PA) – The Stein campaign today said it was disappointed in a federal court ruling Monday morning blocking a hand recount and forensic audit of Pennsylvania’s error-prone electronic voting machines, effectively disenfranchising millions of Pennsylvanian voters, especially communities of color. The decision by U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond follows a lawsuit filed by the Stein campaign that read: “[The state’s] incomprehensible, labyrinth, and impossibly burdensome election regime is a disaster for ordinary voters. Were Pennsylvania votes counted accurately? That truth is not difficult to learn: simply count the paper ballots in optical scan districts, and permit forensic examination of the voting systems in [touch-screen] districts.”

“Pennsylvania’s election system is stacked against voters. Both the technology by which voters cast ballots, as well as the byzantine and burdensome laws determining recounts in the state, are a national disgrace,” said Jill Stein, 2016 Green Party candidate for president. “The process underway in Pennsylvania this week is hardly an effective or comprehensive recount. Despite citizens across this state stepping up and demanding their right to verify the vote, every obstacle imaginable – legal, bureaucratic and political – has been thrown in their face. Pennsylvanians’ constitutional and civil rights to have their voices heard and their votes counted have been stripped from right under them.”

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Stein Campaign: Court’s Decision to Block Statewide Recount, Forensic Audit of Voting Machines Disenfranchises PA Voters

For Immediate Release: Monday, December 12, 2016

New York Times: Recount Rules ‘Arcane and Confusing,’ a ‘Political Horror Show’

As Doubt Over Security, Accuracy of Election Mounts, President Orders ‘Full Review’ of Hacking

(Philadelphia, PA) – The Stein campaign today said it was disappointed in a federal court ruling Monday morning blocking a statewide hand recount and forensic audit of Pennsylvania’s error-prone electronic voting machines, effectively disenfranchising millions of Pennsylvanian voters, especially communities of color. The decision by U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond follows a lawsuit filed by the Stein campaign that read: “[The state’s] incomprehensible, labyrinth, and impossibly burdensome election regime is a disaster for ordinary voters. Were Pennsylvania votes counted accurately? That truth is not difficult to learn: simply count the paper ballots in optical scan districts, and permit forensic examination of the voting systems in [touch-screen] districts.”

“Pennsylvania’s election system is stacked against voters. Both the technology by which voters cast ballots, as well as the byzantine and burdensome laws determining recounts in the state, are a national disgrace,” said Jill Stein, 2016 Green Party candidate for president. “The process underway in Pennsylvania this week is hardly an effective or comprehensive recount. Despite citizens across this state stepping up and demanding their right to verify the vote, every obstacle imaginable – legal, bureaucratic and political – has been thrown in their face. Pennsylvanians’ constitutional and civil rights to have their voices heard and their votes counted have been stripped from right under them.”

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Greens Demand Recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania

The Stein/Baraka Green Party Campaign is launching an effort to ensure the integrity of our elections. We are raising money to demand recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and to support voter-initiated recounts in Pennsylvania -- three states where the data suggests a significant need to verify machine-counted vote totals. 

To give you a sense of the problem, some voting machines used in Wisconsin were banned in California after they were shown to be highly vulnerable to hacking and malicious programming due to lacking security features. 

"After a divisive and painful presidential race, in which foreign agents hacked into party databases, private email servers, and voter databases in certain states, many Americans are wondering if our election results are reliable. That's why the unexpected results of the election and reported anomalies need to be investigated before the 2016 presidential election is certified. We deserve elections we can trust." -- Dr. Jill Stein.

This is about more than the results of this one election. This is about protecting our democracy and ensuring that "We the People" can have confidence in reported results.

 We need your help to make sure your votes were counted accurately on Election Day. Please donate now to help maintain integrity in our elections. 

This effort to ensure election integrity is in your hands! In true grassroots fashion, we're turning to you, the people, and not big-money corporate donors to make this happen.