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Dearborn to reissue 9,000 absentee ballots after clerk error; council notes limited oversight authority
Summary
The city clerk notified council members that 9,000 absentee ballots were mailed with a withdrawn candidate listed. The clerk is reissuing ballots; the council discussed oversight limits and legal review but cannot directly assume election administration duties.
A resident raised concerns about absentee ballots the clerk's office mailed with a withdrawn candidate still printed on the ballot. The council and clerk described a proofing error that resulted in approximately 9,000 replacement ballots being required.
Council President Cerini and council members discussed options for oversight. The city attorney told the council he reviewed a referral and provided an attorney-client opinion to council leadership. The council learned it lacks the power to appoint an ad-hoc oversight committee for election administration because state law and certification requirements govern election officials.
Mister Clark (City Clerk) and other staff said the error was caught early and the clerk's office began reissuing corrected absentee ballots; the clerk reported that roughly 3,000 replacement ballots had been mailed and another 4,000 were being dispatched that day, with the goal of completing mailings by Saturday. The clerk said replacement ballots will carry a fluorescent green sticker to identify the corrected absentee ballot.
Council members asked the clerk and legal staff for cost estimates and for the clerk to keep the council informed; the clerk and legal office said the matter is also under the oversight of the Michigan Secretary of State and the state election process. No council action to change election administration was taken.
