107.5FM WCCN The Rock - The Coolest Station in the Nation
ESPN 92.3FM WOSQ
92.7FM WPKG
Memories 1370AM 98.5FM
98.7FM / 1450AM WDLB - Timeless Classics
Listen Live: 107.5 THE ROCK92.7 FM
Family owned radio stations serving all of Central Wisconsin

Recount Final Costs Are In

Sunday, December 27th, 2020 -- 8:32 AM

Dane and Milwaukee counties have disclosed costs incurred for their recounts of their presidential votes.

Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell released numbers that show the recount cost $729,733. About a third of that, $243,000, went to pay tabulators. Another $104,000 of it covered police protection.  The county, which includes the state capital, Madison, estimated that the total cost would be $740,800. George Christensen, the clerk of the Milwaukee county, released numbers that show it spent $1.69 million on its recount, with nearly a third of that, $550,450, going to rent space for the effort. Christensen said the county expected the recount would cost a little more than $2 million.

President Donald Trump’s campaign paid $3 million in advance for recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties, the state’s two most Democratic counties. Trump lost Wisconsin to Democrat Joe Biden by 0.6 points. Under state law, losing candidates can request recounts but must pay the cost upfront if they lose by more than 0.25 percentage points.  The recounts resulted in a slightly wider lead for Biden.

The counties are required to calculate actual costs and are supposed to be reimbursed from Trump’s payment. If costs come in below estimates, excess funds are supposed to go back to Trump’s campaign. The Legislature’s Republican-led finance committee has refused to release any money for the counties after its co-chairs, Sen. Alberta Darling and Rep. Mark Born, announced Dec. 11 that an unnamed committee member had objected to any transfer. Darling and Born said in a letter to Gov. Tony Evers’ administration that the committee would meet to discuss the reimbursement but didn’t say when.


Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.