Two women show their absentee ballots at City Hall this week. PHOTO: Samer Hijazi

DEARBORN — With the General Elections less than three weeks away, both local campaigns as well as the city of Dearborn have been spreading the word about the option for absentee ballot voting, which can be picked up at the city clerk’s office at city hall and be filled out and directly turned in or mailed back by Tuesday, November 6th.

19th District Court Judge candidate Sam Salamey and his campaign have spearheaded an initiative to get people out to vote early through absentee ballots. The initiative is driven by the concern that many Muslim Americans will be headed to Mecca this month for Hajj and are not expected to return until after the elections in November. Salamey’s campaign is urging voters to spread awareness so that no vote goes unaccounted for, even if they are not in the country during Election Day.

Renee Hadi, one of Salamey’s supporters has been carpooling citizens to city hall for the last week and tells the Arab American News that her and other Salamey supporters will be doing it for the rest of the month, as many bi-lingual residents who are expected to be out of town during Election Day need assistance in filling out the form. Hadi says that so far the campaign has been able to gather over 150 absentee votes and they hope to hit higher numbers as the month rolls on. 

“We’ve been doing it every day, driving people back and forth and bringing them to city hall. It’s important that every one is aware of their rights and duties to vote as an American citizen, even if they are not going to be in the country or need assistance in voting. Hopefully we can continue spreading awareness of the absentee ballot process for the rest of the month,” stated Hadi. 

Cindy Galea, the Election Supervisor of the city of Dearborn says that this year in particular, absentee ballots have been a popular choice with Dearborn citizens. 

“We always anticipate a lot of absentee ballots during the presidential elections, but this time in particular there has been heavy voting through absentee because it’s such a big ballot. There are 11 proposals and the lines are going to be really long. It’s anticipated that people may wait as long as an hour in line on Election Day and some older residents may physically be unable to endure waiting that long,” Galea stated.  

Galea told The Arab American News that citizens who plan on voting through absentee ballots must present some form of I.D. when picking up their ballot. Additionally, no one can pick up ballots for other individuals, as all voters must be present when they are picking up their form.  The city clerk’s office will be open for absentee ballots at city hall Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. until November 2nd. Additionally, city hall will be open on Saturday, November 3rd from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. to accept absentee votes as well. Voters who don’t want to turn in their ballots on the same day as they pick it up can mail it to the City Clerks office by November 6th.

Absentee Ballots are also available for individuals in the military or for residents who may already be overseas or in Canada but aren’t able to return until after the elections. Citizens can go online at www.fvap.gov where a copy of an absentee ballot can be obtained through email or fax. 

Many times in previous local elections, absentee ballots have proven to have a powerful impact on the overall election results. Many candidates who might have won the polling locations on Election Day have ended up losing the race after absentee ballots get factored in, usually at the last minute, leaving the race unpredictable until the very end. Absentee voting is usually a popular form of voting for senior citizens, but Salamey’s campaign says they are well prepared from all angles and are urging all citizens to vote one way or another.   

“The lines will be long and ballots are two pages, the Salamey camp is urging all senior citizens, bi-lingual residents, and voters who will be traveling to vote through the absentee ballots,” Salemy’s campaign stated. 

Salamey supporters who need assistance voting through absentee can contact his campaign at 313.945.5100. For any other questions regarding the election, contact the city clerk’s office at 313.943.2014.