Washtenaw County elections officials don't expect further legal challenges from an absentee ballot snafu in Ann Arbor's third ward. A lot of work has gone into ensuring every vote can count.
Ann Arbor's third ward City Council Democratic primary between Bob Dascola, Julie Grand, and Samuel McMullen started with confusion as Dascola had to sue over residency issues just to get on the ballot. Then absentee ballots were sent out without Dascola included. The judge ruled none of these misprinted ballots can count for the third ward race.
So the challenge became making sure voters used corrected ballots with all three candidates. Washtenaw County Elections Director Ed Golembiewski says the Ann Arbor clerk's office has worked hard to ensure everyone can have their vote counted, "They've been making phone calls, they've been even knocking on doors in some circumstances. The city clerk's office has been making every effort to contact those voters and get them to return that correct absentee ballot they were issued."
With less than a handful of invalid votes remaining out of an estimated 3,000 votes to be cast Golembiewski is hopeful these ballots won't play an outcome in the election.
In person requests for absentee ballots can be made at the city clerk's office through 4 PM Monday, but need to be returned Monday as well.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter— Andrew Cluley is the Ann Arbor beat reporter, and anchor for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him acluley@emich.edu.
