Dem Wants WI Court Race Recount

The AP reports:

Wisconsin Supreme Court challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg asked election officials Wednesday for a statewide recount in her flagging upset bid against Justice David Prosser, a race that marked yet another front in the fight over Republican Gov. Scott Walker's polarizing union rights law.

Final county tallies compiled last week showed Prosser held a 7,316-vote lead over the little-known state attorney. The margin is within one-half of 1 percent of the total votes cast, entitling Kloppenburg to a statewide recount at local governments' expense.

Kloppenburg said at a news conference that her campaign detected "widespread anomalies" in the election around the state. She didn't directly answer questions about whether she felt she could make up 7,000 votes, saying instead she wants to shine light on how the election was conducted.

"Wisconsin residents must have full confidence that these election results are legitimate and that this election was fair," Kloppenburg said.

State election officials said the recount would likely begin next week. They planned to file a request with a judge on Thursday seeking permission to clear voting machine memory cards so local clerks can start counting again.

Prosser's campaign has been pressuring Kloppenburg to give up, saying the margin is too great to overcome and a recount would cost taxpayers. His attorney has said he would challenge any recount request.