Ottawa County clerk: Election process in District 2 was fair, sound
"I think what truly bothers me is when my voters essentially are accused of wrongdoing baselessly by individuals with no data or no set of facts to back that up." ~ Justin Roebuck
OTTAWA COUNTY — Ottawa County’s top elections official wants residents to know that local results and reliable and sound.
“I will say absolutely that we follow data and we follow facts,” said Justin Roebuck, the county’s clerk and register of deeds. “We are a very data-driven entity when it comes to election results and election information. Our whole team has gone above and beyond to ensure access to our office and full transparency throughout this process.”
Roebuck’s comments came two days after the state’s second scheduled election for the year, which featured a special recall election District 2 for the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners.
Republican incumbent Lucy Ebel, a member of Ottawa Impact, lost her seat Tuesday, May 7, to Democrat Chris Kleinjans by a 20-point margin. The uncertified results show Kleinjans receiving 2,502 votes to Ebel’s 1,665.
Kleinjans will finish out the duration of Ebel’s term through 2024. Both, however, are running again in the regular 2024 election cycle.
Ottawa Impact, a far-right fundamentalist group formed in 2021 over frustrations with the county and state over COVID-19 mitigation measures, held seven seats on the 11-member board going into this week’s special election. The group will hold six seats when Kleinjans is sworn in at the board’s May 28 meeting after the election is certified.
Roebuck said his staff have been in contact with both campaigns through the recall process, which began in July — the first day Ebel became eligible to be recalled.
“We've been in communication with both campaigns and both candidates throughout the recall process. We serve with an entire team of highly professional, highly ethical election officials at the local level, particularly the local clerks in the Holland Township and Park Township offices,” Roebuck said, referring to the municipalities that comprise the district.
Despite Ottawa Impact supporters taking to social media claiming election interference and fraud help Kleinjans win, Roebuck said no formal complaints have been brought to his office’s attention.
“We do all these checks and balances to ensure the accuracy and integrity of an election, but then we also give our voters the benefit of the doubt, and no one has brought a single claim to us of any sort of wrongdoing or illegal activity in the election process,” Roebuck said.
If a formal complaint were filed, Roebuck said there’s a process county staff follow.
“We absolutely would follow through and investigate, or I should say, pass on for investigation because we're not an investigatory body,” he said. “We definitely would follow through and make sure that law enforcement was informed of any claim of wrongdoing, as we always have.”
That process includes referring the matter to the sheriff’s office or Michigan State Police; if the claim is substantiated, it is referred to the county prosecutor or the attorney general’s office, depending on the circumstances.
Roebuck said it’s unfortunate that calls of election interference are on the rise as checks and balances are better than ever.
“I think what truly bothers me is when my voters essentially are accused of wrongdoing baselessly by individuals with no data or no set of facts to back that up,” he said. “I actually get pretty protective of that.”
He cautioned residents against jumping to conclusions if their candidate isn’t successful.
“We all have responsibilities as citizens to follow through and research facts before making allegations,” he said. “It's so important for every citizen, not just for election administrators, but for candidates — and for voters in any interested party. When we all live in a community, we are all mutually accountable to one another, to uphold the truth and to follow the facts.”
Roebuck said the local board of canvassers is working on certifying the election results, which is expected to be completed by May 15.
— Contact Sarah Leach at SentinelLeach@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @SentinelLeach. Subscribe to her content at sentinelleach.substack.com.
I was surprised to learn of your dismissal from the Holland Sentinel/Gannett Organization. Your careful reporting of the shenanigans on the Ottawa County Commissioners was the only reason I subscribed. I have now cancelled my subscription and will follow you on Substack. Good things are in your future - your integrity and journalistic talents are valuable and necessary.
I was sorry to hear what happened to you but am glad that you're now on this platform. Keep up the great work. I loved following you on Twitter (X - blech) during the Ottawa County OI/health department/John Gibbs drama.