Christopher Haxel

Lansing State Journal

MASON -- Workers have finished recounting ballots from Ingham County's 115 precincts, although it remains to be seen whether the statewide recount will take place.

Donald Trump gained 73 votes, while Hillary Clinton gained 138, a net difference of 65. Jill Stein, who initiated the recount last week, lost two votes. About 136,000 votes were part of the recount.

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The Ingham County Board of Canvassers finalized the county's recount shortly before 1 p.m.

The county will retain the ballots at the Ingham County Fairgrounds until further notice at the request of the state Board of Elections, said Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum.

Ingham County, which includes Lansing and is the state's seventh largest in population according to the 2010 census, in is the first in Michigan to complete its recount, and the results will be sent to state officials whether or not the statewide recount is ultimately completed, she said.

Votes from three precincts — all in Mason — were being re-recounted this morning because workers realized last night they had misplaced the recount sheets at some point during the initial recount.

The sheets were likely left in the ballot container, which was sealed after the first recount, Byrum said.

An attorney representing the Trump campaign objected to this morning's re-recount of the three precincts, Byrum said.

He declined to comment to the State Journal.

"It's a politically motivated objection," she said. "They are deliberately increasing the costs of the recount here in Ingham County."

The objection could mean the ballots cannot be returned today to clerks from across the county, Byrum said. If that happens, the county will have to pay to have the ballots guarded for another night at Ingham County Fairgrounds.

Byrum initially estimated the recount, which began Monday afternoon, would take about six days. On Tuesday, workers had finished counting ballots from 21 precincts by about 1 p.m., she said. But votes from the remaining 94 precincts had been counted by about 9 p.m. At least six precincts could not be counted because ballot bags were damaged or seals were broken during shipment to the fairgrounds. Additionally, some ballot bags from Meridian Township were not recounted because they were sealed using devices that are not state approved, Byrum said.

"I was fortunate enough to have some amazing recount workers," she said. "Some dedicated, efficient individuals."

Christopher Haxel is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at 517-377-1261 or chaxel@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHaxel.