Joe Buczek is manager of digital content and promotion at CBS Detroit. He previously worked at WWTV, the Grand Traverse Insider, the Leader and the Kalkaskian, the Oakland Press and the Morning Sun.
Hamtramck’s mayoral race between Adam Alharbi and Muhith Mahmood is separated by just 11 votes following Tuesday’s election and has not yet been declared after election officials rejected 150 absentee ballots due to discrepancies with the signature on the sealed envelope.
Unofficial election results show Alharbi leading with 2,009 votes, or 44.45%, over Mahmood, who has 1,998 votes, or 44.31% of the vote. Write-in candidates account for 502 votes, or 11.13% of the ballots cast.
“Currently, we have 150 rejected ballots. So, given the timeframe to correct these ballots, with 11 votes different, really, the race is anybody’s at this point,” said Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj.
Faraj says a letter has been sent to all absentee voters whose ballots were rejected, and they have until Friday to correct their ballots for it to be counted.
“We sent them all letters,” Faraj said. “The day that we received their ballot, and we rejected it in the system, we automatically print out the letter that comes with the rejection and mail them out to all residents.
“The ballots are sealed. We do not know how the votes are. They are still legitimate, sealed AV ballots.”
Faraj says Alharbi and Mahmood have been informed of the rejected ballots.
CBS News Detroit reached out to both mayoral candidates, who said they are anxious to learn the results, and both remain optimistic about their chances to win.
The votes cast in the 150 rejected absentee ballots could also have an impact on Hamtramck’s city council race. Voters could vote for no more than three candidates, and as it currently stands, the fourth- and fifth-most vote getters are 65 and 66 votes, respectively, behind third.
