2012 Primary Election Results for Washtenaw County

With 120 of 168 precincts counted Tuesday night, the following is a roundup of election results from across Washtenaw County:

County Clerk/Register of Deeds (4-year term)

Democrat received 16,001 votes and will face Republican in November. Watson received 10,395 votes. Both men were unopposed in the primary.

Kestenbaum was first elected to the county clerk seat in 2004. He said if re-elected he would like to continue to streamline the records process for county residents.

"People come to this office seeking information, and I welcome the opportunity to provide it. We have taken advantage of technology to make information more available. For example, candidate filings, election results and campaign finance reports appear promptly on our web site; birth and death certificates and land records can be ordered online," he said.

County Water Resources Commissioner (4-year term)

Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner candidates Evan Pratt and Eric Scheie will be on the November ballot.

Democrat Evan Pratt received 10,611 votes to defeat Harry Bentz (3,931 votes) during Tuesday’s primary election. As of 12:15 a.m., with 71 percent of the precincts reports, Pratt had 72 percent of the votes. Scheie was unopposed in the Republican primary.

Pratt is senior project manager with Spicer Group, a professional engineering firm who has served on the Huron River Watershed Council’s board of directors since 2003. He is a resident of Ann Arbor.  On his campaign webpage, Pratt lists helping people, protecting the environment, proactive government service and environmental leadership as his core values.

Scheie, who lost a race for Ann Arbor City council last year, wrote that he was running to be water resources commissioner because local governments put water before people.

County Prosecuting Attorney (4-year term)

Democrat Brian L. Mackie ran unopposed in the primary and received 16,134 votes. Mackie will face Libertarian Justin Altman of Ypsilanti in November. Altman, a graduate of the Michigan State College of Law, said he is seeking office to be an advocate for the residents of Washtenaw County.

"We don’t need the prosecutor to spend your tax dollars charging peaceful people with violations of laws written and interpreted by people in Lansing. We need the prosecutor to stand up for victims and charge their alleged abusers without regard for either party’s race, gender, social status, or job," he said.

County Sheriff (4-year term)

Incumbent Jerry Clayton received 16,258 votes and will face Republican Jeffrey Gallatin in November.

County Treasurer (4-year term)

Democrat Catherine McClary received 15,844 votes and will face Republican Marlene Chockley in November. According to the county website, the County Treasurer manages cash and investments for Washtenaw County Government. The office projects cash flow needs to fund the expenditures of county government.

22nd Circuit Court Judge (6-year term)

James A. Fink and Carol Kuhnke appear on their way to being two finalists for 22nd Circuit Court Judge. With 71 percent of the votes in, Fink had 11,042 votes and Kuhnke had 8,826 votes.  Erane Washington (4,130 votes) and Douglas McClure (3,248) were in third and fourth place, respectively. The top two candidates make the November ballot.