Primary goes to Romney

As in the state as a whole, Michigan native Mitt Romney Tuesday received the most votes from Roscommon County Republican presidential primary voters.

However, Romney's win here was by a slightly smaller margin than statewide, and it was not uniform among the county's townships. The former Massachusetts governor received a total of 1,033 Roscommon County votes (38.9% of the total) to 979 (36.9%) for Arizona Sen. John McCain. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was third with 365 votes (13.7%).

Romney was the top choice of voters in Denton Township (39.3%), Backus Township (54.8%), Gerrish Township (40.8% to McCain's 39%), Lake Township (41.5%), Lyon Township (44%) and Roscommon Township (38.2%). McCain was favored by voters in Au Sable Township (46.4%), Higgins Township (43.3%), Markey Township (40% to Romney's 38.1%), Nester Township (45.7%) and Richfield Township (37.5% to Romney's 35.8%).

County vote totals for other GOP candidates were: U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, 90 (3.4%), former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 68 (2.6%), former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, 63 (2.4%), and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, California Rep. Duncan Hunter and Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, 3 (.1%) each. Brownback and Tancredo announced before the primary that they were no longer active candidates. A total of 48 Republican

voters (1.8%) cast their ballots for "uncommitted."

In the Democratic primary, which will not be recognized by the national party, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton received a total of 985 votes (68%). Clinton was the only major candidate on the Michigan Democratic ballot; Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards were among candidates who withdrew their names from the Michigan ballot because of the dispute with the national Democratic Party. "Uncommitted" received the next highest vote total in the Democratic ballot here, 372 (25.7%). Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich received 30 county votes

2%), Massachusetts Sen. Chris Dodd 10 (.7%) and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel 4 (.3%). Before the Michigan primary, Dodd announced he is no longer seeking nomination.

Less than 20% of Roscommon County voters went to the polls Tuesday. It was the first election in which township clerks turned their tallies by modem, rather than physically taking their poll books to the county clerk's office on election night. There were some glitches. As in other counties, the software used in the process would not accept "uncommitted" vote counts. Those numbers were called in by telephone. At some township halls, phone lines would not allow the modems to work, so results were telephoned in or sent by modem from township clerks' homes. Still, all the votes were tabulated by about 10 p.m., much earlier than in past elections.