Recount for 3 Portage County Board seats affirms April 2 election results

Erik Pfantz, Stevens Point Journal
·2 min read

STEVENS POINT – Voters in three Portage County districts saw the initial April 2 election results for board seats confirmed Friday morning following a three-hour recount of over 1,500 ballots.

Incumbent Michael J. Splinter was confirmed as the winner over challenger Karin Sieg for the District 12 seat. Incumbent Steve Fritz was confirmed as the winner over challenger John Bertelson for the District 16 seat. Amberlee Schwartz was confirmed as the winner over incumbent Scott Soik for the District 19 seat.

“The recount is a testament to the dedication of our local Municipal Clerks and poll workers throughout Portage County. The recount also affirms the accuracy and efficiency of the electronic equipment used within Portage County,” Portage County Clerk Maria Davis said in a news release about the recount.

Candidates Sieg, Bertelson and Soik each petitioned for recounts last week citing “mistakes” made in the original ballot count process. Each race had a final margin of 13 votes or less.

Through the recount process, about a dozen minor errors were identified and voted on by the county’s Board of Canvass, a three-person body made up of the county clerk and two citizens. The decisions by the board reduced Splinter, Sieg and Bertelson’s total votes by one each.

Bertelson’s was the result of an insufficiently filled out absentee ballot, and a jammed machine likely led to two additional “votes” for each candidate in District 12 that did not match with a ballot and were removed, according to minutes from the recount.

The Portage County Board will meet Tuesday to reorganize its members and vote for a new board chair following former chair Al Haga’s electoral defeat after 16 years of service on the board.

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Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA-TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Reach him at epfantz@gannett.com or connect with him on X (formerly Twitter) @ErikPfantz.

This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: April 2024 election: Portage County Board recount affirms winners