37 absentee ballots in Hamtramck mayoral race must be counted by Oct. 16, attorney says
Thirty-seven absentee ballots that were found after the 2025 Hamtramck mayoral race will finally be counted, nearly a year after the election took place. Once counted, those could affect who holds the seat.
Attorney Mark Brewer, who represents former councilman and mayoral candidate Muhith Mahmood, says the Board of Canvassers has until Oct. 16 to count the ballots. While an order has not been filed, Brewer says it will be done through a public meeting, where the results will be announced that day.
The exact date and time of when the count will happen is currently unknown. CBS Detroit has reached out to the Hamtramck city clerk's office and the Wayne County Board of Canvassers for comment and is awaiting a response.
"Nothing like this has taken this long. I really do blame the city and the current mayor. They have been fighting to keep their own people's votes from being counted for a year," Brewer told CBS News Detroit.
Mahmood lost to Adam Alharbi by 11 votes in the November general election. In December 2025, Mahmood filed an appeal to have the 37 absentee ballots counted after the Board of Canvassers voted not to include them in the final tally. At the time, then-Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj had noticed a break in the chain of custody, which resulted in those ballots being excluded.
The litigation was presented at one point to the Michigan Supreme Court. The justices declined in January to hear arguments on the case and instead insisted on an expedited decision from the Michigan Court of Appeals.
A Michigan Court of Appeals ruling in March said that the 37 remaining ballots must be reviewed with their mayoral votes added to official counts. The case was remanded to the trial court for consideration.
"There is no dispute in this matter that the returns were incomplete," the Michigan Court of Appeals majority opinion said.
Alharbi began his term as mayor on Jan. 1, and an inauguration event took place on Jan. 4.
