Recounts planned for 2 Portage County Board races determined by single-digit margins
STEVENS POINT – Candidates for two Portage County Board seats that were determined by single-digit margins have petitioned the county to hold recounts stating they believe "mistakes" occurred in the vote count process.
In the initial counts of results from the April 2 election, incumbent Steve Fritz narrowly defeated challenger John Bertelson by three votes, 206-203, for the District 16 seat on the Board. Similarly, District 19 incumbent Scott Soik narrowly lost to challenger Amberle Schwartz by seven votes, 407-400.
Bertelson and Soik have requested the recounts.
The recounts will be held at 9 a.m. Friday in Conference Rooms 1 and 2 of the Portage County Annex Building, 1462 Strongs Ave., according to Wednesday afternoon news release from the Portage County clerk's office.
In Wisconsin, candidates may petition a recount in an election in which 4,000 or fewer votes were cast if their margin of defeat is within 40 votes.
The Portage County Board faces upcoming decisions on the future of several county services including the courthouse, the sheriff's department, the jail and the health care center.
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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: Recounts planned for 2 Portage County Board races
