DEARBORN – Voters who already received absentee ballots by mail for the November 4 election will be sent new, corrected ballots by October 11, after officials discovered a printing error in the initial batch distributed last week.

The city clerk’s office had begun mailing absentee ballots to voters listed on the permanent absentee ballot roster, as well as those who submitted early requests. All of these voters will now receive a corrected ballot in a blue-and-white envelope, clearly marked with a fluorescent label reading: “Please vote using this updated ballot.”

Voters who received the initial ballot but have not yet returned it should discard it and wait for the corrected version. Those who already mailed in their first ballot will still have the option to vote again using the corrected one. In that case, the city clerk’s office will automatically void the earlier ballot upon receipt of the new one. If a voter does not resubmit using the corrected ballot, their original ballot will still be counted.

“We want to assure voters that the reprinted and corrected ballot will not affect the security, accuracy or results of the upcoming election,” Dearborn City Clerk George Darany told residents in a statement.

He emphasized his office’s commitment to keeping voters and the broader community fully informed about all election-related matters.

Officials stressed that the printing error only affected the first batch of absentee ballots sent by mail. It did not affect ballots that will be available at polling places on Election Day or those used during early in-person voting, which begins October 25.

This year, all Dearborn ballots will include four races:

• Mayor

• City Council

• City Clerk

• Referendum on restructuring the City Council into seven electoral wards beginning in 2029.

For more information about absentee voting, early voting, Election Day voting and voter registration, residents can visit: Dearborn.gov/Vote.