Owen, I’ve read some of your posts and it looks like you have a good sense of what is going on. .. I just want to make sure regarding the absentee votes: The tally we’ve been seeing of the overall vote, with Trump ahead of Clinton by approximately 22,000, does indeed include virtually all absentee votes from Milwaukee and everywhere else, right? .. However, you write, for instance, that “Milwaukee is posting partial results without absentees in them. Almost all wards.” You are not saying that those absentees weren’t counted in the 22,000, right? You are saying that they haven’t been counted yet in the recount, and that when they are, there shouldn’t be a significant change in the 22,000 tally — right?
As best I understand, the absentees for Milwaukee were counted Election Day night.
I am not sure why this procedure requires several days now, vs election day. I *think* it is because the ballots were sent to their county counting venue AFTER election night.
So while on election night each ward was staffed up to count and I suppose phone the result in to their county clerk (AND send the ballots to the county perhaps days later), for the present recount activity I think it all takes place at the central county venue — which isn’t staffed up with all the people who were at the various wards of the county.
So, reiterating, Milwaukee county absentees are FOR THE RECOUNT, being done last. They were done Election Night at the wards (or by whenever their deadline for arrival is).
These are not new votes. They are in the Election Night count. The recount just faces a different problem with each county having to recount all of its wards’ ballots at the central county . . . venue, with smaller staff.