HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (WXYZ) — People in Hamtramck finally know the official winner of their extremely close Mayoral race. The Board of Canvassers, facing a deadline of today to certify the election results, announced businessman Adam Alharbi narrowly beat City Councilman Muhith Mahmood by just six votes.
Ahead of today's certification, just 11 votes separate the two. On Friday, the Wayne County election officials rejected dozens of absentee ballots discovered in the city clerk's office after the election.
Watch Ryan's report ahead of the certification in the video player below
Both candidates felt very confident about their chances of winning heading into today. But there was still lots of uncertainty nearly two weeks after the election ended. Even though the margin sat at 11 votes, dozens of absentee ballots still needed to be counted, which could have swung the election either way.
“I think it’s a matter of time that we get an answer from Wayne County," Adam Alharbi said. “I think they will probably be split, and I will still have the lead.”
7 News Detroit attempted to reach Mahmood and his attorney recently, but didn't hear back. We did previously talk to him about this hotly contested race.
“You know, voting is a constitutional right, and if somebody voted… and made a mistake, they should not pay for it," Mahmood said. "They have a right to choose their future leader, whether it’s me or Adam Alharbi. I don’t know who’s going to win.”
Mahmood was considering challenging the results, but he had to hurry because once the Wayne County Board of Canvassers officially certified the vote, no challenges could be made. As of this point, there is no word on a challenge being filed before the certification.
Watch our previous coverage
