# Question regarding the Wisconsin electronic vote recount **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 1, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-wisconsin-electronic-vote-recount/773559 "2016-12-01T21:45:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-wisconsin-electronic-vote-recount/773559/1 "2016-12-01T21:45:34Z")
Hi, In every article I’ve read so far, I have seen no details as to how precisely the electronic votes in Wisconsin will be recounted? Is there a paper trail for re-counters to look at? Is the data backed up in files/caches on the machines? Is that data reliable enough? I look forward to your feedback ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-wisconsin-electronic-vote-recount/773559/2 "2016-12-01T22:07:59Z")
Wisconsin is mostly a mix of paper ballots and optical scan ballots, the “paper trail” is built in. When the recount was ordered the Election board left it up to the counties as to how they’ll recount and a number of them may just run the votes through the optical scanner again. Stein has lost a lawsuit to force a manual recount. [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-wisconsin-recount-20161129-story.html](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-wisconsin-recount-20161129-story.html) > [@](#): > > State Department of Justice attorneys filed briefs Tuesday arguing that Stein hasn’t shown how a hand recount would change the election’s results. Elections Commission Administrator Mike Hass said only 19 counties plan to use electronic tabulators; the rest plan to count by hand. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-wisconsin-electronic-vote-recount/773559/3 "2016-12-02T01:31:57Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Wisconsin is mostly a mix of paper ballots and optical scan ballots, the “paper trail” is built in. When the recount was ordered the Election board left it up to the counties as to how they’ll recount and a number of them may just run the votes through the optical scanner again. Stein has lost a lawsuit to force a manual recount. > > [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-wisconsin-recount-20161129-story.html](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-wisconsin-recount-20161129-story.html) Thanks CarnalK. Are Wisconsin and Michigan mixed as well in terms of voting procedures? Presumably the machines back up the data there too. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-wisconsin-electronic-vote-recount/773559/4 "2016-12-02T01:35:31Z")
> [@davidmich](#): > > Thanks CarnalK. Are Wisconsin and Michigan mixed as well in terms of voting procedures? Presumably the machines back up the data there too. sorry that should have read michigan and pennsylvania ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-wisconsin-electronic-vote-recount/773559/5 "2016-12-02T01:44:52Z")
Michigan is apparently all paper ballots. I posted this in another thread: [Pew article on voting methods](http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/08/on-election-day-most-voters-use-electronic-or-optical-scan-ballots/) Scroll down for a map that shows voting method by county. I assume Michigan is pretty straightforward, being old school voting method. [Wisconsin has a variety of machines](http://elections.wi.gov/elections-voting/voting-equipment/voting-equipment-use) in use. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-wisconsin-electronic-vote-recount/773559/6 "2016-12-02T01:51:04Z")
Pennsylvania is more complicated. They use a variety of Direct Recording Electronic machines afaik, few have a paper trail. I’m of the impression the most they can do is do an audit of the machines pto make sure they are functioning correctly, but don’t quote me on that. It looks like Stein is going to fail to get a statewide recount there though, maybe a few precincts at most. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-wisconsin-electronic-vote-recount/773559/7 "2016-12-02T05:01:56Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Pennsylvania is more complicated. They use a variety of Direct Recording Electronic machines afaik, few have a paper trail. I’m of the impression the most they can do is do an audit of the machines pto make sure they are functioning correctly, but don’t quote me on that. It looks like Stein is going to fail to get a statewide recount there though, maybe a few precincts at most. Thanks CarnalK. Very helpful.