Vote counting error scrambles Michigan State trustee race

A counting error has disrupted a competitive race for two open seats on Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees, according to The Lansing State Journal. 

Last Wednesday, Republican candidate Julie Maday claimed victory over Democrat Rebecca Bahar-Cook for the second open seat on MSU’s board. But on Friday, the county clerk’s office revealed that due to an apparent data-entry error, it had undercounted Bahar-Cook’s votes by about 20,000. 

The updated results put Bahar-Cook ahead of Maday by fewer than 7,000 votes, with the race too close to call. (The other open seat was won by Republican Mike Balow.) 

MSU’s trustee races have been closely watched, as the board has been under intense public scrutiny for the past two years. In 2022, trustees mounted a campaign to oust former university president Dr. Samuel Stanley over alleged failures to report sexual misconduct. And in February, two trustees were accused of ethical violations and subsequently stripped of their duties; Governor Gretchen Whitmer is currently deciding whether to remove them from the board years before either of their eight-year tenures are up.