The Latest: Stein changes strategy in Pennsylvania recount

Penn State gives playoff committee something to ponder

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Latest on the Green Party's effort to force a statewide recount of the Nov. 8 presidential election in Pennsylvania: (all times local): 11:45 p.m. The Green Party says it's switching strategy in its bid to force a statewide recount of Pennsylvania's Nov. 8 presidential election, won by Republican Donald Trump. Hours after dropping a state court case, it said late Saturday night that it'll go to federal court instead. A statement from the lead lawyer for the recount campaign says it'll seek an emergency federal court order for the recount. It says barriers to a recount in Pennsylvania are pervasive and the state court system isn't equipped to address the problem. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein has spearheaded a recount effort in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states where Trump won narrowly over Democrat Hillary Clinton. She's framed it as an effort to explore whether Pennsylvania's election result was manipulated by hackers. Trump and the Pennsylvania GOP have opposed the recount. Pennsylvania's top elections official, a Democrat, says there's no evidence of cyberattacks or voting irregularities. ____ 5:45 p.m. The Green Party is dropping its court case seeking a recount of Pennsylvania's Nov. 8 presidential election. It had wanted to explore whether voting machines and systems had been hacked and the election result manipulated. The Green Party's filing came Saturday, saying it couldn't afford the $1 million bond the court had set. A Commonwealth Court hearing had been scheduled in the case for Monday, and the $1 million bond was due later that day. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein has spearheaded a recount effort in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states where Republican Donald Trump won narrowly over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump and the Pennsylvania GOP had asked the court to throw out the Green Party-backed request. The GOP argued there's no evidence or even allegation that tampering with the state's voting systems occurred and that the law doesn't specifically allow a court-ordered recount. ____ 12 p.m. The Green Party's quest for a recount of Pennsylvania's Nov. 8 presidential election that includes an examination for malware inside voting machines and systems is being met with resistance. That's even before a state judge hears the Green Party's court case. Some county officials say they've already done an audit of network security, or that granting outside access to their election systems would violate state law. Pennsylvania's top elections official, Secretary of State Pedro Cortes, a Democrat, says there's no evidence of any sort of cyberattacks or irregularities in the election. Still, Pennsylvania is viewed as perhaps the nation's biggest target to hack. It's a swing state with a large number of electoral votes crucial to winning the White House and its election systems are seen as relatively vulnerable.