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More than a week after Election Day, results from the Wayne County community of Hamtramck remain in limbo because of dozens of ballots that weren’t counted — some of which may never be tallied.
Thirty-seven absentee ballots were not properly tabulated on election night due to what Hamtramck Deputy City Clerk Abe Siblani called “human error at the counting board.” He said the issue would be resolved during the county canvassing meeting at 1 p.m. Thursday. County officials did not immediately respond to questions Wednesday.
The outcome of the city’s mayoral election may depend on what happens.
It is unclear why the ballots weren’t counted. Mismatches between the number of ballots received and counted are rare, and usually stem from simple counting errors that are corrected before results are sent to the county.
Typically, only “cured” ballots — mail ballots with signature mismatches that have been reconciled — are added in during the canvassing process. Officials say there are potentially also a significant number of those, which could also affect the outcome of the mayoral election: The current margin stands at just 11 votes, with Adam Alharbi narrowly leading City Council member Muhith Mahmood.
Meanwhile, City Clerk Rana Faraj has been absent from the office. Siblani said that city officials told her not to come to work Monday and that he has not heard from her since. Faraj could not be reached for comment.
It’s not clear whether Faraj has been suspended in some way, or why she was told not to appear for work. City officials did not return multiple voicemails asking for information. She did, however, tell TV station WDIV that she “respectfully but firmly” disagreed with the city’s decision. Clerks are appointed by the city manager in Hamtramck, according to the city’s charter, and serve at the pleasure of the manager.
Faraj’s absence is the latest election mystery in Hamtramck, a city of about 28,000 people bordering Detroit that has been rocked by allegations that council members were involved in an election fraud scheme. An investigation into those allegations led to felony charges this year.
“We’re used to scandals at this point,” Siblani said.
In March, Faraj wrote a letter to Attorney General Dana Nessel, asking her office to “take action” on alleged election fraud in the city, saying that an unidentified City Council member — whom Faraj later confirmed to be Mohammed Hassan — “acts as though he’s above the law.”
Nessel later requested a special prosecutor to investigate Hassan, council members Abu Musa, Muhtasin Sadman, and Mohammed Alsomiri, as well as two others. The petition alleged they conspired to collect unvoted absentee ballots from newly naturalized citizens, fill them out, and pay for votes.
In August, Hassan and Sadman were charged with felonies. Felony charges against Sadman were later dropped after two subpoenaed witnesses failed to appear, The Detroit News reported last month, although he still faces a misdemeanor charge. Court records show Hassan is set to have a jury trial in April.
No others have been charged.
Despite the investigations, Musa and Nayeem Choudhury — who was one of the others named in Nessel’s petition — both won council seats last week, according to unofficial results. Just before the August primary, footage from surveillance cameras appeared to show Musa allegedly handing a driver bundles of ballots to place into a city drop box. Michigan State Police say they are investigating; Michigan law allows only family members or those in the same household to return ballots for voters.
The repeated irregularities have shaken some voters’ confidence in the city’s electoral processes. Several voters told Votebeat on Election Day that they felt charges of election crimes should disqualify a candidate.
Rich Lash, a Hamtramck voter, said he turned up to vote on Election Day despite the scandals because he felt it was his civic duty. He was voting for new people to “shake it up,” he told Votebeat, particularly after hearing from a number of family and friends that his vote wouldn’t matter.
“I’m pessimistically hopeful,” he said just a few hours before polls closed.
Hayley Harding is a reporter for Votebeat based in Michigan. Contact Hayley at hharding@votebeat.org.
