HAMTRAMCK, Mich. – 37 ballots.
That’s what stands in the way of putting a final stamp on the Hamtramck mayor’s race that was seemingly decided 5 months ago, thanks to a ruling from the Michigan Court of Appeals on Friday morning.
In a 2-1 decision, Judges Stephen Borello and Randy Wallace found that the 37 extraneous ballots that were discovered after Election Day should have been counted.
“We find that plaintiff and the 37 voters who cast their ballots had a clear legal right to have them appropriately considered under the Michigan Election Law,” the ruling said. “The trial court abused its discretion by failing to grant the writ of mandamus and failing to order the Board of Canvassers to have the 37 ballots subjected to the challenged voter procedures of MCL 168.745.”
Michigan Court of Appeals Ruling
“I wish that they made the decision earlier, but at least you know we got the justice we deserved,” Hamtramck City Councilman Muhith Mahmood, who filed the suit, said on Friday. “This entire ballot could be his; you never know. But every vote has to be counted.”
Mayor Adam Alharbi assumed the office on Jan. 1 after a contentious race that saw him certified as the winner by just six votes over Mahmood.
“The next step is we will be filing an appeal with the Supreme Court, and also, we will be filing a stay where these ballots won’t be counted,” Alharbi said on Friday. “It’s clear that they were found after the elections. They lack the chain of custody, and they were compromised.”
Alharbi’s win wasn’t certified for nearly 2 weeks because the city had 150 absentee ballots that had mismatched or missing signatures.
The 37 ballots in question were later found, unsealed, in now-former Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj’s office. Those ballots were eventually deemed ineligible by the Wayne County Board of Canvassers and went uncounted.
Faraj was eventually put on leave before she was formally fired on March 9. Alharbi was certified as the winner on Nov. 18, 2025.
The suit was filed by Mahmood to the Michigan Supreme Court, which kicked the decision down to the Court of Appeals.
Local 4 reached out to the Wayne County Board of Elections and the County Canvassers to get some clarity on when and how a potential recount of those 37 ballots would work, but we have yet to get a response.
Mr. Mahmood told us that he is persisting with this because he feels every vote should be counted – even if he feels the mayor’s seat could still be a long shot.
“I have challenged the result previously, and he won,” Mahmood said. “He still won, and he still remained in the same position. So, I have no hard feelings about it.”
Alharbi said he remains dedicated to serving the citizens of Hamtramck.
“My focus is to make sure that I do my best for the city of Hamtramck and for the residents,” Alharbi said. “It’s the city I’ve been in since I was 8 years old. I am just focused on Hamtramck.”