UPDATE: We're blown away. Since Democracy for America shared the following message with you on Thanksgiving, grassroots donors have increased Jill Stein's swing state recount fund by more than $1 million. According to the Stein campaign, the Wisconsin and Pennsylvania recounts are now fully funded and a new goal has been set to cover the costs of a final recount in Michigan. Want to see all three swing state recounts happen? Chip in what you can right now. On behalf of everyone at DFA, thank you for stepping up today. -- Charles Chamberlain, Executive Director, Democracy for America

Walt --

What seemed nearly impossible is now becoming a reality -- because of Americans like you.

Just 24 hours ago, the unprecedented movement to audit the presidential vote in swing states seemed like a "Hail Mary" pass -- extremely unlikely to happen, even if it served to raise awareness about the integrity of our elections.

But -- riding a sudden tidal wave of bottom-up grassroots activism -- Democracy for America and MoveOn members demanded action, fueling momentum by signing petitions and calling decision-makers on the eve of Thanksgiving.     

This organic movement's "Hail Mary" was answered on Wednesday afternoon by Jill Stein -- a presidential candidate with legal standing to call for a full recount of election results -- when she unexpectedly announced that she will initiate recounts in three swing states if she can immediately raise the millions necessary to pay for it.

Fewer than 100,000 votes spread across three states -- Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania -- separate Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. To meet the deadlines for a full recount in these three decisive states -- which could cost $6-7 million, according to the Stein campaign -- Stein announced that she needed to raise $2.5 million to meet Friday's first recount deadline in Wisconsin.

In just a matter of hours last night, grassroots donors across America crushed Stein's ambitious $2.5 million goal for Wisconsin, which sent shock waves across the mainstream media.

To pay for the next round of recounts in Pennsylvania (Monday deadline) and Michigan (Wednesday deadline), Stein has set a new goal of $4.5 million. Inspired, Democracy for America and MoveOn are stepping up to make an unusual request of our members on Thanksgiving -- one we couldn't have imagined asking you prior to this unbelievable moment: 

Can you join Democracy for America members across the country who are chipping in to Jill Stein's election integrity fund right now? Click here to give Stein the funds necessary to trigger and pay for recounts that will verify election results in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

We know this is an extraordinarily unusual request to make of DFA and MoveOn members. As Ilya Sheyman wrote in a message late last night, paraphrased below:

• The electoral results are not likely to change. Yet, if we are to have a functioning democracy, we must verify the vote. Why? Seventy-five percent of the electorate votes on paper ballots which are then scanned into a machine, but we never double-check to look at those ballots and make sure the machine counts are accurate. 

• DFA and MoveOn members worked tirelessly to defeat Donald Trump by electing Hillary Clinton. Our members did not endorse the Green Party's presidential candidate, Jill Stein. But we do agree with the Stein campaign that a recount is needed. And they are leading the charge to make sure it happens. 

• Public trust in the integrity of our elections is a bedrock principle of our democracy. But a recount can happen in Wisconsin and Michigan only if a presidential campaign requests it. And the Clinton campaign hasn't acted. So the Stein campaign's effort is the only way to set all three recounts in motion. Triggering this process may also help pressure states to ensure they prioritize vote tally processes that can't be hacked and can easily be verified in cases of close races. 

No matter the outcome, supporting full recounts in these swing states is a critical action you can take right now to protect and preserve the health of our democracy. Join with DFA and MoveOn -- click here to contribute directly to the Stein campaign's recount fund right now.

Want to know more? Read the language on the donation page that the Stein campaign is updating constantly at the link above, which fully explains their recount plans and next steps.

Thank you for stepping up to take a meaningful action in this critical moment for the future of our democracy.

- Eden

Eden James, Political Director
Democracy for America

P.S. This unprecedented campaign has a strong chance of succeeding because people like you are sharing it with their friends and family on Thanksgiving, at family gatherings across the country and on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. Once you've chipped in, please spread the word! You can click here to share the recount fund link on Facebook, or forward this message to your friends.