KENTWOOD, Mich. >> Twin sisters who represented different parties when they ran for seats on the same western Michigan county board will not be working side-by-side.

Monica Sparks, a Democrat, and her Republican sister, Jessica Ann Tyson, each won their party’s nomination for the Kent County Board of Commissioners in August during the Michigan primary election.

They ran in different Grand Rapids-area districts for the seats. Unofficial results show Sparks was the top vote-getter Tuesday for her seat, while Tyson finished second in her district. That means Sparks will serve on the board while her sister won’t.

Sparks has said she decided to run for office when her sister declared her candidacy. They’ve said they were adopted into a family that taught them to pay attention to government and public affairs.