Republican and former state representative Kim Meltzer has unseated incumbent Clerk George Fitzgerald in the most closely contested race in Clinton Township.

Meltzer won 22,217 votes to Fitzgerald's 21,546, according to Clinton Township election results.

She will join current Republican Supervisor Robert Cannon and Democratic Treasurer William J. Sowerby as one of the township's three full-time officials. Both Cannon and Sowerby ran unopposed this election.

"The most important thing for me was to make sure we have a board that would be functional and progressive," said Supervisor Robert Cannon, who joined newly elected clerk Kim Meltzer at her victory party Tuesday at Wise Guys. "I'm comfortable with all the trustee candidates. Mrs. Meltzer being elected will bring integrity back to the office of clerk."

Cannon, who has lead efforts on the part of the board to remove Fitzgerald from office for the past five months, also raised questions about Fitzgerald's handling of the election.

"There were not enough ballots at some precincts," Cannon said. "This was a close presidential race. People were really fired up about it. The school boards were involved, too. He was totally incompetent."

While poll workers at Precinct 28 in the DiAnne M. Pellerin Center did report running out of ballots before 8 a.m., leaving some voters to wait in line for roughly two hours, Fitzgerald said the problem was resolved and those who wanted to vote had the opportunity to do so.

He attributed the miscalculation to the Pellerin Center being a split district, where voter turnout was higher than normal due to school district boundaries.

For more election coverage and to check results for county, state and national races, see the results chart below or visit:

• Results for Macomb County races, including Sheriff, Prosecuting Attorney, Clerk and Treasurer
• Results for U.S. President, Congress, State Supreme Court and Ballot Proposals
• Barack Obama Re-elected President

Connect with Clinton Township Patch throughout Election Day by following us on Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for the daily newsletter to receive local election results in your email inbox the morning after.

LIVE 2012 CLINTON TOWNSHIP ELECTION RESULTS

These results are unofficial until confirmed by the county clerk.

8:01 P.M.

The polls have closed. Check back here on Clinton Township Patch throughout the night for the latest news and results.

6 P.M.  

Since 6:30 a.m., voters in lines at Erie Elementary School, home to Precincts 34, 44 and 45, have been in the triple digits. Make-shift voting booths have been added in an effort to keep the lines moving, but voters were still waiting upwards of an hour as of 6 p.m.

With approximately 700 votes recorded as of 6 p.m., Precinct 46 has already broken its 2008 record by almost 200 votes.

While voter turnout has not surpassed 2008 numbers yet, Clinton Township Clerk George Fitzgerald said it still could.

As of 6:45 p.m. 96 percent of the 15,230 absent voter ballots sent out had been returned.

12 P.M.

Home to three precincts, Erie Elementary remains one of the busiest locations in Clinton Township. With the school parking lot full, voters are now parking along Romeo Plank Road.

Patch caught up with Chippewa Valley school board candidate Euel Kinsey and Rep. Anthony Forlini (R-District 24) outside the school where Kinsey said he plans to greet voters until polls close. Forlini said he intends to stay in Clinton Township until 5 p.m., when he'll leave for the Harrison Township portion of his district.

It was more than an hour wait for voters in Erie's Precincts 34 and 44, but less than 10 minutes for those in Precinct 45. With voters trying to stay out of the cold, lines of more than 100 people long packed the school's hallways, often looping back on one another.

The scene was the exact opposite at Chippewa Valley High School (Precincts 1 and 27) where despite a steady flow of voters, there were no lines as of noon. 

However, poll workers at Precinct 1 said they have had some problems with voters spoiling their ballots by over-voting in the nonpartisan section.

9:30 A.M.  

Poll workers across Clinton Township tell Patch that voters began lining up outside precincts at 6:30 a.m. and have been coming in steadily since.

As of 9:30 a.m., some voters had already been waiting two hours to cast their ballots at Precinct 28 in the DiAnne M. Pellerin Center on Gratiot. Poll workers told Patch that the precinct had run out of ballots early in the morning and were waiting for extras to be brought in so voting could resume.

One voter who had been waiting in line for more than hour said she didn't mind the wait. "A lot of people fought for us to be able to do this. It's definitely worth the wait."

Clerk George Fitzgerald said this could be an ongoing issue for split precincts where voter turnout is higher than normal due to school district boundaries, but said that all voters who wish to vote will be able to do so as extra ballots are available and will be transported to the locations where they are needed.

"We have a contingency plan," he said, adding that voter turnout has been high thus far and "every voting booth we have available is in use."

This was the case at Precincts 29 and 38, located at Cherokee Elementary School, where many voters were choosing not to wait for polling booths at all but rather fill out their ballots on tables nearby.