Hamtramck residents and officials raise absentee ballot delivery and voter‑intimidation concerns ahead of election

Residents and council members at a Hamtramck City Council special meeting on Aug. 1 urged voters to return absentee ballots directly to city hall and voiced concern about past missed mailings and alleged door‑to‑door visits by law enforcement that some residents described as intimidating.

The city clerk and multiple council members said election workers had experienced heavy demand: the clerk told attendees the clerk's office would be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. the next day for election business and that mailed absentee ballots could not be sent after the prior deadline. The clerk and other speakers repeatedly advised residents to drop ballots at city hall rather than relying on postal delivery to ensure timely receipt.

"Dear resident, whoever the ballot has sent the ballot, I just suggest you don't post it, come to the city and drop it," a council member said during the meeting, citing past experience in which mailed ballots did not arrive for many voters and urging residents to use the city drop box.

Several residents recounted previous elections in which absentee ballots were listed as mailed but were not received by intended voters. One resident said they had to accompany elderly voters to polling places because ballots did not arrive; another described state involvement in a prior investigation after community complaints about door‑to‑door contacts targeting names from a single community group.

A public commenter asked the police department to avoid door‑to‑door visits during the election period, saying such visits had "intimidate[d] the community" and were discouraging people from voting.

In response, the clerk and other officials said the post office has taken steps in recent cycles to keep collected ballots local and route them directly to city hall rather than sending them through an outlying mail processing center. City staff said they had engaged the state previously on post office problems and that local postal staff now often hold and deliver ballots directly to the clerk's office.

The meeting record shows multiple public comments about historic problems with mailed ballots and perceived intimidation; the council did not open a formal investigation at the meeting but several council members publicly urged residents to return ballots in person or use the city drop box to ensure they are counted.