Trump campaign files suit in Michigan to halt ballot counting

US President Donald Trump's re-election campaign has announced that it will file a lawsuit to stop the counting of votes in Michigan “until meaningful access has been granted" to observe the ballot counting process.

"We have filed suit today in the Michigan Court of Claims to halt counting until meaningful access has been granted," Trump's campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We also demand to review those ballots which were opened and counted while we did not have meaningful access. President Trump is committed to ensuring that all legal votes are counted in Michigan and everywhere else," he added.

This comes as Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden is projected to win the critical swing state of Wisconsin, claiming its 10 electoral votes.  

The victory would turn the state blue again four years after Trump flipped the state, winning it by roughly a point.  

Meanwhile, in a tweet on Wednesday Trump expressed doubt about the legitimacy of counting legal votes beyond Election Day, a claim that was marked by Twitter as containing misleading information.

"They are working hard to make up 500,000 vote advantage in Pennsylvania disappear — ASAP. Likewise, Michigan and others!" Trump tweeted.

Donald Trump and Joe Biden each need 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.

Biden has so far emerged victorious in California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Hawaii, Minnesota and Washington.  

SS