CALHOUN COUNTY, MI (WTVB) – A programming error has tightened up the race for the 44th District State House seat between Republican challenger Steve Frisbie and Democratic incumbent Jim Haadsma.
Calhoun County Clerk Kimberly Hinkley told WWMT-TV about 2,800 ballots within the City of Battle Creek were overridden and initially not counted.
The Calhoun County web site on Saturday morning showed Frisbie with a lead of 58 votes, 20,823 to 20,765.
Frisbie had initially been called the winner by the Associated Press and various media outlets after the unofficial results showed him with a lead of about 1,400 votes.
Haadsma has not conceded the election but Frisbie’s campaign claimed victory on Wednesday.
The results still have to be verified by the Calhoun County Canvassing Board.
Angela Benander is a spokesperson for the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office. She told the Battle Creek Enquirer that due to the programming error involving two high-speed absentee ballot tabulators, the reported numbers did not combine the results from the two tabulators and instead excluded about half the results.
Republicans managed to flip enough seats in Tuesday’s election to become the majority party in the Michigan State House when the new session begins in January.
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