Over 800 absentee ballots in Canton left off election night totals, officials say

The Canton Township Clerk's Office says more than 800 absentee ballots were left out of the township's unofficial election night reporting totals from the August primary. 

Election officials say 823 absentee ballots across 10 precincts were affected by the issue, and that those ballots were properly cast, scanned and tabulated in the Aug. 4 primary. 

According to the clerk's office, the discrepancy was caused by an issue involving the rollers on two high-speed absentee ballot scanners. 

Election workers moved additional batches to a second high-speed scanner, but election officials say that system couldn't accept two batches with identical batch names. As a result, those ballots were tabulated but not included in the election night reporting. 

The issue was recently discovered during the Wayne County Board of Canvassers' review, and all impacted ballots are included in the official results before certification next week, election officials said. 

The clerk's office is preparing equipment and procedural updates ahead of the November 2026 general election, including tabulation methods to prevent a recurrence.