The Hamtramck mayoral election results from 2025 have been overturned, nearly a year after the initial vote, following the counting of 37 previously disputed absentee ballots. On Friday, the Wayne County Board of Canvassers conducted the new count, which now shows Muhith Mahmood as the unofficial winner, replacing Adam Alharbi.
The updated tally indicates Mahmood secured 2,089 votes, while Alharbi received 2,077. One of the 37 ballots was cast for a write-in mayoral candidate. This change comes after the initial results from last year’s election showed Alharbi defeating Mahmood by a narrow margin of just 11 votes, without the inclusion of the 37 absentee ballots that were mistakenly left out of that count.
Cheers reportedly erupted during the board meeting when Mahmood was named the unofficial winner. Mahmood, who is believed to be the city's first Bangladeshi mayor, acknowledged the board's work and stated, “It’s not about the winning and fighting for the win. It’s about the democracy in this country and voter rights.” He encouraged Alharbi, a member of Hamtramck's large Yemeni American community, to work with him to unify the city.
However, Adam Alharbi stated he was not surprised by the new result and alleged malfeasance, claiming that a number of ballots originally marked for him had been “erased” and marked for his opponent. He also referenced past allegations of ballot harvesting in Hamtramck. Addressing the board, Alharbi asserted that “Election integrity in Hamtramck is not trustworthy” and indicated his intention to request a recount. He also plans to challenge Mahmood's eligibility to hold office, alleging his opponent does not live within city limits.
The tabulation on Friday was the culmination of a lengthy legal process that began after Election Day 2025. Election officials discovered the 37 ballots in question after the initial count, noting they were found open but still in their envelopes within the clerk’s office. Concerns were raised by canvassers regarding the validity of these ballots after it was learned that several city officials had entered the clerk’s office while the ballots were present. This entry was seen as breaking the ballots' chain of custody, leading to a deadlock among canvassers on a vote to count them. Consequently, the ballots were excluded from the certified results at that time.
Last December, Mahmood initiated legal action to have the disputed ballots counted, which had remained sealed until this past Friday. A circuit court judge initially ruled against counting the ballots, and Alharbi took office in January. However, an appeals court reversed that decision in March, and the Supreme Court of Michigan declined to take the case in August. This set the stage for Friday’s tabulation, though it took nearly two more months for the case to navigate the lower courts before the final order to tabulate the ballots was issued on October 9.
The process for transitioning leaders in Hamtramck and any potential restitution for Mahmood's lost year as mayor are not immediately clear. Mark Brewer, Mahmood's attorney, stated he would be discussing next steps with Mahmood. Hamtramck operates under a weak mayor system, where the city manager manages most daily operations and the city council makes many significant decisions. Despite this, Alharbi implemented a number of new ordinances during his ten months in office. It is also uncertain when, or if, Mahmood will be able to assume office. Becki Camargo, a lawyer for Wayne County, indicated that the mayoral results could not be certified on Friday due to a pending court case concerning Mahmood's residency and his eligibility for the position. Alharbi maintains that Mahmood resides in Troy, not Hamtramck.
Camargo stated that the pending residency case is expected to be heard next week, but a decision might not be rendered immediately. She suggested that the certification for the mayoral election could extend into the canvassing period for the upcoming November midterm election. Michigan election law dictates that recounts cannot be requested until certification is complete, which means a full resolution to the mayoral election situation is likely weeks away. Other races on the ballot, none of which were close enough for the 37 votes to alter their final outcomes, were certified.
