Statewide and local elections concluded with Tuesday's Election Day voting, and voters cast their ballots in U.S. Senate and House of Representatives races in Michigan as well as elections surrounding state legislature, school board, city council and millage requests.
Muskegon County voters turned down a 0.5-mill request for a new tax supporting county parks and recreation projects. If approved, the millage would've supported funding for the county's parks and new trails. Municipalities would've been permitted to apply for up to 30% of the funding they generated in the form of grants.
Voters said no to the request with 53.7% of the vote; 38,987 voted against the millage, with 33,600 in favor.
Both Whitehall and Montague's school boards saw changes to their compositions in the election, as one incumbent on each was ousted in the vote.
In Whitehall, where three names were on the ballot for two seats, Shannon McGoran narrowly lost re-election to Sheila Mund, 2,136-2,070 (28.4%-27.5%). Board secretary Paula Martin easily won re-election, collecting 3,310 votes (44.0%).
Montague's board also had three names on the ballot for two seats. Incumbent Ben Rupert, who was appointed last year after Scott Beishuizen moved out of the district, received 1,021 votes (25.5%), losing re-election to Jen Hain, who got 1,332 votes (33.3%). Board vice-president Amanda Dahl easily won re-election with 1,644 votes (41.1%). Also on Montague's board, Douglas Schmidt ran unopposed to retain the seat he was appointed to this year after Brent Raeth moved out of the district.
The Montague city council will see new members added, though one of those names isn't yet known. Mayor Tom Lohman ran unopposed for re-election, while the council had three seats up for grabs with only two names on the ballot - Laura LaGuire, who sought re-election, and Bill Tarr. LaGuire received 51.6% of the vote, and Tarr got 48.4% of the vote. The third seat will be determined by write-in votes, as neither Paul Schultz nor Susan Newhof sought re-election and no one else filed to be on the ballot prior to the deadline.
Wiley Fry, Maya Rademaker, James Lippert and Stacey Boutell were among those who were publicizing their write-in candidacies in the days leading up to the election. Montague clerk Kelly Markley said the Muskegon County Board of Canvassers began canvassing county elections Thursday and will not have finalized the process until at least Friday, Nov. 13; the write-in council candidate to be seated will not be determined until then.
In Blue Lake Township, voters narrowly approved a new 10-year, 0.75-mill request that will allow the township to construct an updated fire department facility. According to ballot language, the levy will raise a total of $135,229 in its first year. Voters approved the measure with 603 votes in favor (51.3%) and 573 votes against.
"This is more than just a successful millage vote," the Blue Lake Fire Department posted on social media, adding that it will soon share information on a groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility. "It's an investment in the future of emergency services, the safety of our residents, and the firefighters who proudly serve this community."
Village of Rothbury voters approved a shakeup on the council, as incumbent Autum Drake was narrowly voted out in favor of Marieanne Canales. Canales received 49 votes to Drake's 43. Incumbents Dylan Zuniga and Jim Fekken were re-elected with 67 and 63 votes respectively. Village president Mike Harris ran unopposed for re-election.
Dalton Township voters approved a 10-year fire millage equipment renewal at 0.7109 mills, with 2,119 votes in favor (54.1%) to 1,796 against.
Statewide races (unofficial vote totals as of Wednesday via the Michigan Secretary of State's Office)
Democrat Jocelyn Benson and running mate Winnie Brinks defeated a John James/Jay DeBoyer Republican ticket in the race for Michigan governor, with Benson pulling in 51.4% of the vote to James' 46.9%. Benson also won Muskegon County, with 53.7% of the vote to James' 44.4%.
Democrat Garlin Gilchrist won the race for Secretary of State, defeating Republican Anthony Forlini, 50.5% to 46.8%. In Muskegon County, Gilchrist got 52.9% of the vote to Forlini's 48.3%.
Democrat Eli Savit won the race for Michigan Attorney General over Republican Doug Lloyd, 49.3% to 47.8%. Savit carried Muskegon County by a margin of 51.6% to 45.3%.
In the race for a seat in the Michigan State Senate, Democratic candidate Rebecca Amidon claimed victory, and Republican Kim Cole conceded, though news agencies had yet to make an official call in a very close race for a seat vacated by term-limited Republican Jon Bumstead. Amidon carried 50.6% of the vote to Cole's 49.4%; Amidon got 55% of the vote to Cole's 45% in Muskegon County.
In the race for a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives, incumbent Republican Curt Vanderwall retained his seat against Democratic challenger Angel Coon. Vanderwall had 58.6% of the vote to Coon's 40% district-wide; in Muskegon County, Vanderwall received 55.3% of the vote to Coon's 43.1%.
In statewide ballot proposals, voters turned down the option to convene a new constitutional convention, 74% to 26%, but approved a proposal prohibiting government-contracted utility companies from making campaign contributions and expanding laws regulating spending on political communication, 81% to 19%.
(Crowded races were also determined for the Michigan School Board and for regents and trustees at several public universities; for full results, see the michigan.gov/sos.)
National races (unofficial vote totals as of Wednesday)
National races involving Michigan saw Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed secure a seat in the U.S. Senate over opponent Mike Rogers. As of Wednesday afternoon, El-Sayed had carried 52.5% of the vote to Rogers' 45.5% statewide; county voters also favored El-Sayed, 51.7% to 46.9%.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican John Moolenaar maintained his seat by receiving 61.5% of the vote to Democrat challenger Ben Ambrose's 37.0%. County voters also favored Moolenaar albeit by a smaller margin, 53.3% to 45.1%.
