OLIVE TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Aug. 29, 2024) – In the category of nothing ventured, nothing gained comes a Thursday recount into the Ottawa County Board District 9 Republican Party Primary vote from the August 6th election.
First-term incumbent Roger Belknap asked for another count of those votes, claiming that the crashing of the county’s election results website during the hours after the polls closed necessitated such an action. In the initial count, Belknap lost to Phil Kuyers by a thousand-73 votes.
The county Board of Canvassers oversaw the recount process of around a dozen precincts in a nearly nine-hour effort, and the final count showed Kuyers getting an additional five votes. This is in contrast to two years ago, when it was the incumbent Kuyers who lost to Belknap by 307 votes.
The recount somewhat vindicated County Clerk Justin Roebuck and his staff.
The final unofficial tally was published at 12:17 AM on August 7th.
Belknap will be paying around $5,000 for the recount request. He was among a number of “vetted” candidates by the Ottawa County Republican Party that were defeated in the primary election, with only four such candidates winning.
Observers noted that over a hundred people attended the recount that was held at the Fillmore Street Administrative Building in West Olive.
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