Ottawa Impact commissioner loses recount for Republican primary

OTTAWA COUNTY, MI – An Ottawa County commissioner who lost the Aug. 6 primary election has also lost a recount challenging the election results.

Roger Belknap, who currently represents District 9 on the county’s board of commissioners, filed a challenge to the election results earlier this month. In the primary, he lost to former Commissioner Phil Kuyers by 1,073 votes. Kuyers had 4,070 votes and Belknap had 2,997 votes.

After nearly eight hours of recounting ballots on Thursday by 11 teams of bipartisan counters, Belknap’s vote total remained exactly the same, ending at 2,997 votes. Kuyers, on the other hand, gained five additional votes, ending at 4,075. The new difference between the two Republicans is 1,078 votes.

The recount was over just before 6 p.m. The vote totals were certified by the Board of Canvassers on Thursday, Aug. 29.

After the recount results were announced, Belknap congratulated Kuyers and shook his hand. Kuyers will now officially face Democrat Angela Stanford-Butler in the November general election.

Belknap said he was grateful for the recount staff and volunteers that observed the counting.


https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2024/08/ottawa-impact-commissioner-loses-recount-for-district-9-republican-primary.html