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Muhith
Mahmood
and his
legal
team
argue
that the
exclusion
of these
ballots
constitutes
"unconstitutional
disenfranchisement"
for the
37
voters.
Mahmood
has
filed a
lawsuit
against
both the
City of
Hamtramck
and the
Wayne
County
Board of
Canvassers. |
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Recount
Affirms
Alharbi
Victory
in
Hamtramck
Mayoral
Race,
Legal
Fight
Continues
Jean
Davis -
Local/State
Tell Us
Detroit
News
HAMTRAMCK,
MI - The
razor-thin
mayoral
race in
Hamtramck,
Michigan,
has
concluded
its
official
recount,
once
again
confirming
challenger
Adam
Alharbi
as the
winner
over
City
Councilman
Muhith
Mahmood.
However,
the
result
has done
little
to
settle
the
fierce
political
dispute,
as the
legal
fight
over
dozens
of
uncounted
ballots
continues.
The hand
recount,
conducted
by the
Wayne
County
Board of
Canvassers,
found
that
Alharbi
defeated
Mahmood
by a
margin
of 11
votes—a
slight
increase
from the
initial
six-vote
margin
certified
after
the
November
5
general
election.
The
final
tally
stands
at 2,071
votes
for Adam
Alharbi
and
2,060
votes
for
Muhith
Mahmood.
Disputed
Ballots
Fuel
Controversy
Despite
the
recount
affirming
the
outcome,
the
primary
source
of
controversy
remains
37
absentee
ballots
that
were
ultimately
excluded
from the
final
count.
Hamtramck
City
Clerk
Rana
Faraj
reported
a break
in the
chain of
custody
for
these
ballots,
leading
the
Board of
Canvassers
to
deadlock
on a
decision
to count
them.
Muhith
Mahmood
and his
legal
team
argue
that the
exclusion
of these
ballots
constitutes
"unconstitutional
disenfranchisement"
for the
37
voters.
Mahmood
has
filed a
lawsuit
against
both the
City of
Hamtramck
and the
Wayne
County
Board of
Canvassers,
seeking
to
either
have the
ballots
tabulated
or allow
the
affected
voters
to cast
new
ballots—a
highly
unusual
remedy
in
Michigan
election
law.
Candidates
React
Both
candidates
were
present
for the
recount,
offering
contrasting
views on
the
process
and the
path
forward.
Adam
Alharbi,
who is
now
affirmed
as the
mayor-elect,
expressed
relief
that the
counting
phase of
the
election
is
seemingly
over.
“Six
months
of
campaigning
and then
another
month
and a
half of,
you
know,
dealing
with
election
issues,
but
yeah, it
feels
good,”
Alharbi
said,
signaling
his
focus on
the
transition
to
office.
City
Councilman
Muhith
Mahmood,
however,
confirmed
his
commitment
to
continue
the
legal
challenge.
He cited
the
discrepancies
and the
uncounted
37
ballots
as major
concerns,
suggesting
the
situation
“raises
a
concern,
you
know, it
could be
part of
the
fraud
that
needs to
be
investigated.”
The
ongoing
lawsuit,
which
centers
on
whether
the
excluded
ballots
can be
counted
despite
the
chain-of-custody
breach,
ensures
that the
Hamtramck
mayoral
race is
far from
a
settled
matter
as the
city
approaches
the
January
1
inauguration
date for
its new
leadership.
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