by Carley Litten
As we all know, the recent election which took place between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was a heated one with much controversy. Now that the election is over and Trump is the president-elect of the United States, many are questioning if this result is just and fair.
One other politician, in particular, backing this demand is Jill Stein who put almost $7 million into making the recount happen. It’s notable that this is twice as much as she even put into her campaign.
According to ABC News, Stein originally was only planning to raise about $2.5 million, and she drastically changed this goal to $7 million which is said to be what is necessary to cover the cost of the recount.
Although Clinton stated during her campaign that Trump questioning the results of the election would be a “direct threat to our democracy,” she seems to be doing the same as she backs up and supports the recount of three states.
Americans across the country have been voicing their opinion on how the popular vote was in Clinton’s favor, and that it’s only fair she be our president.
However, the Electoral College was implemented into our constitution for a reason. It’s important to realize that half the U.S. population lives in 146 counties out of over 3,000 total counties. This means that these areas would dominate the popular vote. The electoral vote allows states an equal amount of electoral votes based on population giving the entire country a voice, not just 146 counties.
With this being said, I feel as though the recount is unnecessary. We live in a democracy and Trump won the election fairly. To me, whether someone is for or against a candidate, it is important to respect the fact that we live in such a free country where we can have a democracy like we do, no matter the outcome.
However, if people feel as though the election needs a recount, then let there be a recount. In my eyes the recount isn’t exactly helping or hurting anyone, it will just be a waste of time.
Opinions on this matter are all over the map, on both sides of the issue. Baylee Blair, a student here on campus, gives her opinion on the matter.
“I feel that with every re-election the losing side always calls for a recount. They waste a lot of time and a lot of money recounting votes that they’ve already done once,” Blair said.
As of right now, there seems to be very little evidence backing up the need to even have a recount. Some are claiming that voting machines in Pennsylvania were infected with malware, while others are claiming it’s to simply ensure our voting system is unbiased. Whatever the reason may be, the Green Party is insistent to the max on this recount, and I can’t help but wonder why Stein is so sure this particular election needs a recount so bad
