MARSHALL, MI (WTVB) – Republican Calhoun County commissioner Steve Frisbie won the hand recount for the 44th District Michigan State House seat by a larger margin than the results that were earlier certified by the Board of State Canvassers.
Frisbie defeated Democratic incumbent Representative Jim Haadsma by 79 votes, 20,895 to 20,816.
Haadsma requested the recount after losing the election by 61 votes when the ballots were counted last month and it was done by the Board of State Canvassers in Marshall.
The recount was delayed until December due to the calendar and the process the Calhoun County clerk needed to follow.
The hand recount is expected to be the final chapter in the somewhat bizarre race. The unofficial count from the November 5 election had Frisbie winning by almost 1,400 votes and he was declared the winner by several media outlets.
But the Calhoun County Clerks office discovered almost 2,800 absentee ballots in Battle Creek had not been counted after a programming error involving a pair of high-speed absentee ballot tabulators was discovered.
Republicans claimed a majority in the House in November’s election and the 44th District race will not impact that.
The district covers the city of Battle Creek and northern Calhoun County.
Comments