Michigan City Council Member Allegedly Caught Stuffing Ballot Box

In an intriguing turn of events, members of the Michigan City Council were filmed allegedly filling election dropboxes with absentee ballots just days ahead of their local primary re-election. This occurred in Hamtramck, where Council member Abu Musa was seen on August 1st handing a stack of ballots to someone in his car before depositing them in a nearby box.

Musa secured a re-election position just four days after the election on August 5, winning by 1,129 votes against 11 competitors.

I mean, considering that only 286 votes were cast on Election Day, while 843 absentee ballots were submitted, it raises some eyebrows. I think it’s worth noting that some reports suggested Musa would’ve placed fifth without those absentee votes.

The video of the ballot box incident emerged shortly after two other Hamtramck Council members were arrested as part of an ongoing investigation related to election fraud from 2023. This investigation was triggered by observations from a city clerk who pointed out that large bundles of absentee votes were submitted, often filled in with similar handwriting, which seemed suspicious.

While Musa was mentioned in this investigation, he hasn’t faced any charges as of yet.

Additionally, there are questions about Musa’s residency in Hamtramck, which he has denied. State police have confirmed that the footage of the ballot box stuffing is part of their investigation. Local laws in Michigan do allow individuals to submit multiple absentee ballots on behalf of others near relatives or co-residents, but there are strict rules about who can do so.

“You can submit more than one ballot, but there are specific guidelines regarding who can return whom’s votes,” said Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown. “If it’s a close relative or if you live with someone, you can turn in their absentee ballot,” she added.

As of now, Musa has not commented on the video footage.