2016 United States presidential election

=== Recount petitions ===
{{main|2016 United States presidential election recounts}}

On November 23, [[Green Party of the United States|Green Party]] presidential candidate [[Jill Stein]] launched a public fundraiser to pay for recounts in [[Wisconsin]], [[Michigan]], and [[Pennsylvania]], asserting that the election's outcome had been affected by hacking in those states; Stein did not provide evidence for her claims.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why are people giving Jill Stein millions of dollars for an election recount? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/11/24/why-are-people-giving-jill-stein-millions-of-dollars-for-an-election-recount/ |last1=Weigel |first1=David |author-link1=David Weigel |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=November 24, 2016 |access-date=December 15, 2016}}</ref><ref name="NYTDec13">{{cite news |title=Stein Ends Recount Bid, but Says It Revealed Flaws in Voting System |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/13/us/stein-ends-recount-bid-but-says-it-revealed-flaws-in-voting-system.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 13, 2016}}</ref> Changing the outcome of these three states would make Clinton the winner, and this would require showing that fewer than 60,000 votes had been counted for Trump which should have been counted for Clinton. Stein filed for a recount in Wisconsin on November 25,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/jill-stein-submits-presidential-recount-petition-wisconsin-n688316 |title=Election recount process to begin in Wisconsin after Green Party petition |work=[[NBC News]] |date=November 26, 2016 |access-date=November 26, 2016}}</ref> after which Clinton campaign general counsel [[Marc Elias]] said their campaign would join Stein's recount efforts in that state and possibly others "in order to ensure the process proceeds in a manner that is fair to all sides."<ref name=splits>{{cite news |title=Clinton campaign splits from White House in backing Jill Stein recount push |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/26/hillary-clinton-attorney-jill-stein-wisconsin-recount |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=November 26, 2016 |access-date=November 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Marc|last=Elias |title=Listening and Responding To Calls for an Audit and Recount |url=https://medium.com/@marceelias/listening-and-responding-to-calls-for-an-audit-and-recount-2a904717ea39 |date=November 26, 2016 |access-date=November 26, 2016 |work=[[Medium (website)|Medium]]|author-link=Marc Elias }}</ref> Stein subsequently filed for a recount in Pennsylvania on November 28,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2016/11/pennsylvania_recount_stein_cli.html |title=Jill Stein files petition seeking Pennsylvania presidential election recount |work=pennlive.com |date=November 29, 2016 |access-date=November 30, 2016}}</ref> and in Michigan on November 30.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jill Stein files for Michigan recount |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/jill-stein-files-for-michigan-recount-232015 |website=[[Politico]] |date=November 30, 2016}}</ref> Concurrently, [[American Delta Party]]/[[Reform Party of the United States of America|Reform Party]] presidential candidate [[Rocky De La Fuente]] sought and was granted a partial recount in Nevada that was unrelated to Stein's efforts.<ref name="NV"/>

President-elect Donald Trump issued a statement denouncing Stein's Wisconsin recount request saying, "The people have spoken and the election is over." Trump further commented that the recount "is a scam by the Green Party for an election that has already been conceded."<ref>{{cite news |title=Read: Trump Slams Jill Stein Over 'Ridiculous' Vote Recount Effort |url=http://insider.foxnews.com/2016/11/26/donald-trump-reacts-jill-steins-recount-effort-presidential-election-votes |publisher=[[Fox News]] |date=November 26, 2016 |access-date=November 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127131148/http://insider.foxnews.com/2016/11/26/donald-trump-reacts-jill-steins-recount-effort-presidential-election-votes |archive-date=November 27, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Trump campaign and Republican Party officials moved to block Stein's three recount efforts through state and federal courts.<ref>{{cite news |title=Trump Campaign Objects To Michigan Hand Recount |url=http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2016/12/01/trump-campaign-objects-to-michigan-hand-recount/ |website=[[CBS Detroit]] |date=December 1, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/02/politics/michigan-attorney-general-files-suit-to-stop-recount/index.html |title=Michigan attorney general files lawsuit to stop recount |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=December 2, 2016}}</ref>

[[Mark A. Goldsmith|U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith]] ordered a halt to the recount in Michigan on December 7, dissolving a previous temporary restraining order against the Michigan Board of Elections that allowed the recount to continue, stating in his order: "Plaintiffs have not presented evidence of tampering or mistake. Instead, they present speculative claims going to the vulnerability of the voting machinery—but not actual injury."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/08/politics/michigan-election-recount/index.html |title=Michigan recount halted |website=[[CNN]]|date=December 8, 2016}}</ref> On December 12, [[Paul S. Diamond|U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond]] rejected an appeal by the Green Party and Jill Stein to force a recount in Pennsylvania, stating that suspicion of a hacked Pennsylvania election "borders on the irrational" and that granting the Green Party's recount bid could "ensure that no Pennsylvania vote counts" given the December 13, 2016, federal deadline to certify the vote for the Electoral College.<ref name="ChiTrib12122016">{{cite news |date=December 12, 2016 |title=U.S. judge rejects Green Party's Pennsylvania recount case; Wisconsin recount finished |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-pennsylvania-election-recount-20161212-story.html |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=December 12, 2016}}</ref> Meanwhile, the Wisconsin recount was allowed to continue as it was nearing completion and had uncovered no significant irregularities.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Latest: Judge to Rule Monday on Pennsylvania Recount |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/latest-michigan-court-members-recount-44086754|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161210110914/http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/latest-michigan-court-members-recount-44086754|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 10, 2016 |website=[[ABC News]] |date=December 9, 2016}}</ref>

The recounts in Wisconsin and Nevada were completed on schedule, resulting in only minor changes to vote tallies.<ref name="WIResults">{{cite news |first=Matthew|last=DuFour|title=Completed Wisconsin recount widens Donald Trump's lead by 131 votes |url=http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/completed-wisconsin-recount-widens-donald-trump-s-lead-by-votes/article_3f61c6ac-5b18-5c27-bf38-e537146bbcdd.html |newspaper=[[Wisconsin State Journal]] |date=December 12, 2016}}</ref><ref name="NVResults">{{cite news |title=Nevada ballot recount changes just 15 Trump, Clinton votes |url=http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/34011663/nevada-ballot-recount-changes-just-15-trump-clinton-votes |website=Fox 5 KVVU-TV |date=December 8, 2016 |access-date=December 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221134247/http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/34011663/nevada-ballot-recount-changes-just-15-trump-clinton-votes |archive-date=December 21, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A partial recount of Michigan ballot found some precinct imbalances in Detroit, which were corrected. A subsequent state audit found no evidence of [[voter fraud]] and concluded that the mistakes, which were "almost entirely" caused by poll-worker mistakes attributed to poor training, did not impair "the ability of Detroit residents to cast a ballot and have their vote counted."<ref>{{cite news |first=Kathleen|last=Gray |title=State audit: No evidence of fraud in Detroit vote |url=http://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2017/02/09/detroit-vote-problems-election-audit/97690514/ |newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]] |date=February 9, 2017}}</ref> The overall outcome of the election remained unchanged by the recount efforts.<ref name="WIResults"/><ref name="NVResults"/><ref name="Reuters13">{{cite news |title=Green Party U.S. election recount bid comes to a close |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-recount-idUSKBN1411QE |publisher=[[Reuters]] |date=December 13, 2016}}</ref>