State canvassers set timeline to process massive citizens' petition, address noncitizen-vote findings

The Board of State Canvassers on April 3 heard public concerns about a large citizens-only petition and separate allegations of noncitizen voting, and the Bureau of Elections told the board it will process the petition on a June timeline after finishing higher-priority candidate petitions.

"I did not come last month to speak to 37 ballots," Wayne County canvasser Lisa Capatina told the board during public comment, explaining that her earlier remarks concerned a broader set of documents and the county's letter about the Nov. 2025 Hamtramck election. Capatina said Wayne County drafted a letter and, after counsel review, submitted it to the board but that delivery delays hampered communication.

The bureau's director told the board the criminal investigation related to the Hamtramck matter is ongoing with the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office (the attorney general has recused) and that access to the contested ballots is limited by litigation. The director said the clerk involved was suspended and later terminated and that the bureau has discussed chain-of-custody and training improvements with local officials to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Public commenters also…