To use a football metaphor, the breakout 60-yard gain was called back for a penalty, killing the team’s momentum and resulting in negative yards. Leelanau Democrats are disappointed after the 6-1 super majority on the County Commission they thought they had—following unofficial, and incomplete, election results posted to the County website in the wee hours of Nov. 6—changed to just three seats. They’ll be in the political minority once again through the four-year term. Democrats thought they were riding a blue wave on the County Commission, too, until County Clerk Michelle Crocker suddenly alerted candidates, and the media, on Friday afternoon, Nov. 8, that more than 3,000 in-person early votes had not been counted in the unofficial results. They were uploaded to the ElectionSource software on election night, but didn’t save correctly. A hand count of the paper backup ballots revealed the discrepancy. Lois Bahle, who now trails her Republican opponent Will Bunek by seven votes, plans to request a recount once results are certified late this week. “I owe it to my constituents and to myself with only a seven-vote difference,” said Bahle. “The recount process is also a way to show that the system works. We can have faith in it.”
