Dem Files for Recount in Wis. High Court Race

JoAnne Kloppenburg filed a request with Wisconsin election officials yesterday that asks for a full recount of all votes submitted in the April 5 state supreme court election. Kloppenburg was initially thought to have beaten the incumbent, David Prosser, by around 200 votes. Two days after the election, however, the election official for Waukesha County revealed that 14,000 votes had not been counted. When tallied, Prosser pulled ahead by 7,316 votes—but that gives him less than a .5% lead, which allows Kloppenburg to request a recount on the state's dime.

At a news conference, Kloppenburg said "widespread anomalies" were detected. "Wisconsin residents must have full confidence that these election results are legitimate and that this election was fair." State election officials said the recount, which is expected to cost about $500,000, would likely begin next week. Prosser's campaign has stated that it plans on blocking any recount efforts, reports the AP. (More JoAnne Kloppenburg stories.)