Hand-counting ballots looks like a ton of work - here's how the presidential election recount is unfolding in Wisconsin

REUTERS/Jim Young

Although the election was almost a month ago, three states are recounting all of their ballots thanks to a request from Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.

Stein raised enough money to file recounts in Wisconsin (which officially began December 1), Michigan (which began December 5), and Pennsylvania (which is still pending in the courts).

While Stein has raised over $7 million, her team estimates the recount costs for all three states will be $9 million.

The high price tag is mostly due to the cost of recounting votes by hand, which Stein has been pushing for, citing beliefs that the election was "hack-riddled," though no evidence of hacking has surfaced yet.

Counting ballots by hand is a ton of work - here's how the process is unfolding in Wisconsin, how it works, and what might happen.