Many North Texans are watching the Green Party’s recount efforts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania – and donating money to help make them happen.
“Right now, the average donation is $45," said Joy Vidheecharoen, co-chair of the Dallas County Green Party. “So, that’s a small amount, really, small amount to protect your vote.”
The Green Party’s presidential nominee, Jill Stein, is calling for recounts of the November 8 election in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania – three swing states all won by Republican Donald Trump.
“We don’t expect to change the results," said Vidheecharoen. “We’re concerned about election integrity, so we want to make sure that every vote is counted. And because there have been some issues in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, there have been some reports of election fraud. So, we want to make sure that every vote is counted correctly."
A pharmacist, Vidheecharoen joined the Green Party after the Florida recount following the 2000 presidential election.
“It’s actually one of the reasons why I’m a Green now because in 2000, I believe the election was not handled properly," Vidheecharoen said. “I believe that Americans have lost trust in the election process, that a lot of people don’t believe their votes count."
“For us, it doesn’t matter who won, Donald trump or Hillary Clinton," said Vidheecharoen. "Either one of those candidates, for us, it didn’t really matter but we want to make sure again that every vote counts.”
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With a goal of $7 million, the recount effort has already raised more money than the Green Party did nationally.
