It ain’t over til it’s over.
The results of the primary election were officially certified by the Oakland County Board of Canvassers this week, but a recount of one Brandon Township race is forthcoming. Additionally, write-in campaigns in the November general election are still possible.
The board of canvassers confirmed the election results Tuesday. On Wednesday, Brandon Township Treasurer Linda Owen, who lost to challenger Tyrone Beltramo by 25 votes in the primary election, filed to have six Brandon precincts recounted.
‘I’ve been approached by numerous, numerous taxpayers that want a recount,? Owen said. ‘The voters spoke, but it was close.?
Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson
said the treasurer’s race in Brandon Township will likely be one of three recounts resulting from primary elections in the county. The other two recounts both come from races in Waterford, one with a difference of six votes, the other just over 100 votes.
Johnson said the county averages about one or two recounts a year, but a change in the votes after the board of canvassers have done their audit is unlikely.
‘We have a bi-partisan canvassing board that has audited the election results and now they are official, because every vote is accounted for,? she said. ‘With these newer (voting) machines, everything is computerized for tallying. It’s not unusual to find one or two votes that might be off. It could be someone didn’t make the oval quite as dark. But the higher chance of having a change is before the canvass. Recounts have far less potential of change after the canvass.?
During the canvass auditing process, it is sometimes found the machine jammed and the votes didn’t count. But all votes have been accounted for in Brandon Township and the number of ballots match the number the precinct workers had, exactly.
The county clerk’s office has requested clearance from the state for a recount and is notifying Beltramo, who has seven days to file an objection. The recount will likely take place in a secure place in the township during the week of Sept. 15.
Owen has paid $60 for a recount of six precincts, but Johnson was not sure how much the recount will cost taxpayers, who will pay for the time of the canvassers and local officials involved.
Johnson is also unsure what error would cause a change in votes, as she has never seen it happen after the canvassers? audit.
Owen doesn’t know what she will do if the results come back the same, but has been encouraged to run as a write-in candidate, a move that, like recounts, rarely ends in success.
Johnson recalls only one instance where a write-in candidate overcame the odds? when Beth Steele ran for clerk as a write-in candidate in Groveland Township in 1978 against an unpopular incumbent clerk. Steele won and began a career that lasted more than 20 years, until her retirement in 2000.
Ironically, two candidates who lost in a 4-way treasurer primary election race in Groveland may be considering a write-in campaign after it came to light that winner David Ax was in violation of the Hatch Act as a candidate. The 1939 Hatch Act is a federal law prohibiting federal employees from running for public office in a partisan election. Ax was a federal mine inspector, but resigned his position on Aug. 11, six days after winning the election. Federal officials have said that Ax is now in compliance and no disciplinary action will be necessary.
In Atlas Township, Supervisor Paul Amman, who lost to challenger Shirley Kautman-Jones by a margin of 25 votes, is not asking for a recount and has not announced any intentions to run a write-in campaign.
Johnson said write-in candidates face an even bigger uphill battle in a general election.
‘It’s harder when you have more people voting in a presidential election and you have to get to four times as many people and ask them to write your name in and get it spelled right,? she said.
She also noted that in Oakland County, 30 percent of voters are Democrats, another 30 percent are Republicans, and 40 percent are independent voters. People often vote a straight ticket and those voters are lost to write-in candidates.
‘It doesn’t happen often that a write-in candidate is elected, but this is a great country,? Johnson said. ‘The foundation is democracy, and democracy allows write-ins.?