Candidate for state Legislature wants court to stop recount in Battle Creek

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — A Republican candidate for state Legislature wants a vote recount stopped by the court, while Democrats accuse him of trying to block an accurate count of the ballots.

The race in question is between incumbent state Rep. Jim Haadsma (D-Battle Creek) against Republican challenger Steve Frisbie in the 44th District race in Battle Creek.

The issue at hand stems from an error in processing thousands of absentee ballots, reported by the county clerk.

When returns were initially posted the day after the election, Frisbie had a lead of 1,381. After the Board of Canvassers began its certification of the votes, the board ordered a re-tabulation because of the reported error.

Tuesday, the county clerk shared new numbers from those previously uncounted ballots, which narrowed Frisbie's lead to just 58 votes.

Read the full lawsuit below:

Cc - Complaint Complaint - 2024003227 for Calhoun County Board of Canvassers by WXMI on Scribd

Frisbie filed a lawsuit in Calhoun County Circuit Court to step the re-tabulation. The lawsuit claims the board should have first finished reviewing what's called a statement of returns to ensure there was a discrepancy in the first place. Frisbie's suit says the board's failure to follow Michigan election law may determine the outcome of his campaign and his legal rights.

His attorneys say the board sidestepped Michigan law and engaged in a baseless process.

Despite the lawsuit, the board voted unanimously to continue the recount.

Here's the latest on the vote count according to Decision Desk HQ:

The Michigan Democratic Party shared the following statement from Representative Haadsma: