Election officials put on notice

By Charles Sercombe
The federal government is now warning election officials nationwide that they face criminal charges if they knowingly allow non-citizens to vote.
The government claimed it has informed election officials of this policy, but Hamtramck city officials say they have not received any such notification from the U.S. Justice Department.
Hamtramck is especially vulnerable to scrutiny since many immigrants call this city home.
It’s part of the Trump administration’s effort to crackdown on what it believes to be a national problem, although little evidence has ever been offered to support such suspicions.
In a letter sent by the federal government, dated July 7, the state had five days to respond on how it will ensure compliance.
The letter warned election officials, that, “State election officers, including the chief election officer of the state, could be criminally prosecuted for aiding and abetting. …”
The Review reached out to the state for comment, but at press time Thursday there was no response.
Asked if he had a comment, Hamtramck City Clerk Sami Elhady only said: “I don’t have anything to comment on this issue.”
This upcoming Aug. 4 primary election will be a test for Elhady because he has no prior experience as a city clerk or with running an election.
Hamtramck elections have come under local and state suspicion in recent years, with accusations that some candidates and their supporters are forging absentee ballots or have been video recorded stuffing ballots into the drop-off box in front of city hall.
Two councilmembers, Mohammed Hassan and Muhtasin Sadman, were recently convicted of misdemeanor charges related to election fraud.
Both escaped being convicted of felony charges.
On top of that, the outcome of the 2025 mayor election is still up in the air after 38 ballots were discovered uncounted from last November’s election.
That election was overseen by a prior city clerk who has since been fired over the handling of those ballots.
Mayor Adam Alharbi has taken legal action to prevent the uncounted ballots from being included in the final vote tally, but it appears the ballots will be counted within the next few weeks, according to those familiar with the issue.
It’s also been rumored that federal monitors will be overseeing the fall general election, where it’s considered possible that Democratic candidates could retake control of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
President Trump’s administration has been demanding, but losing court challenges, for states to turn over their voter rolls. Trump also wants to end the use of absentee ballots, except for narrow reasons. It’s been reported that Trump has regularly used absentee ballots to vote.
Many Yemeni-American immigrants voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election, after former mayor Amer Ghalib, a Yemeni immigrant, campaigned for metro Arabs and Muslims to support Trump.
Trump went on to win in Michigan, which some have credited to Arab-Muslim support.
Ghalib has since been rewarded for his effort with a job in the Trump administration.
Former mayor Ghalib told The Review that Hamtramck has not had an issue with noncitizens voting.
“I support every lawful measure that protects the integrity of our elections,” Ghalib said. “We have not had that issue in Hamtramck, and there is no reason for residents to be concerned about it.
“Anyone who violates election laws should be held accountable. There should be consequences for election fraud or any form of unlawful voting, regardless of who commits it.”
Posted July 17, 2026