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Independent candidate Michele Brant won the Madison County auditor special election with 70% of the vote, defeating appointed incumbent Matthew Schwarz.

The special election was triggered by a citizen petition after the county board of supervisors appointed Schwarz without a public vote.

Brant's victory signals a rebuke of the board's appointment process and the culmination of months of turmoil in county government.

Madison County voters handed a decisive victory to independent candidate Michele Brant in a rare special election that unseated appointed auditor Matthew Schwarz.

The Tuesday, Aug. 26, special election, prompted by a grassroots petition, capped months of turmoil in county government, where accusations , lawsuits and shouting matches turned an ordi

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