Arabic-language election ballots in Michigan city have an error, city official says

DEARBORN, MI. – Arabic-language ballots printed in Dearborn for the November election were issued with an error, and all voters who have the translated ballots or requested them are being notified, City Clerk George Darany said.

The mistake appears in the portion of the ballot listing candidates for Michigan Supreme Court, Darany said in a news release. The error affected 34 Dearborn voters who requested Arabic-language ballots as of last Thursday, Darany said.

The Arabic-language ballots read mistakenly that voters should choose "not more than one" candidate. It should have instructed that voters choose "not more than two." There are two open seats on the state's Supreme Court.

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Who's responsible for the ballot error?

In an email to city council members obtained by the Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, Darany said a language access commission appointed by Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and the city council earlier this year was responsible for the mistake, adding they were under tremendous pressure to finish the translation in time for the November election. Darany also complained that his previous warnings about the city needing more time to implement Arabic-language ballots went unheeded.

Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab American News and part of the three-member volunteer commission appointed by the city, said Monday night he and others at his Dearborn newspaper did the translation and reviewed the final ballot before it was printed by Dominion at no cost to the city.

The city's release, issued Thursday, did not say who made the error or who conducted the translation for the ballots.

Siblani said the other two members, Kassem Doghman and Ali Ajami, were not involved with this translation.

"There is no excuse for the mistake," Siblani said. "And nobody is blaming it on anybody else. But the system itself is very complicated."

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What is the process?

The process starts with Wayne County giving the city clerk an Excel spreadsheet with various sections of the ballot, Siblani said. The clerk then gave it to the Arab American News for translation.

The Arab American News then translated the various parts of the ballots and sent it back to the clerk. The clerk then sent it to the county and the county gave it to Dominion for printing, Siblani said. It was sent back to Siblani to proofread and confirm it was accurate. He said they only had about two days to proof the ballots.

Siblani said he was notified of the error on the ballot when someone contacted him. He said he promptly alerted the clerk and worked with them to alert the voters affected.

"Upon learning of the error, our office immediately notified the State of Michigan Election Bureau and determined the number of absentee voters who needed to be notified," Darany said in a statement.

How many incorrect ballots were returned?

Darany said his office conducted "a thorough and accurate accounting of Arabic absentee ballots," determining 34 Arabic absentee ballots were sent out and, of those, 11 were completed and returned to the clerk's office as of Thursday night. There are 23 outstanding Arabic absentee ballots not yet returned, Darany said.

The city has contacted all 34 voters, Darany said. He said the mayor's office helped them with providing interpreters when contacting the voters.

How difficult is it to get a non-English ballot?

In contrast to other states, Michigan does not have many municipalities offering non-English language ballots. The U.S. government has certain guidelines that need to be met before such ballots can be used. The move to have Arabic-language ballots initially received pushback from Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett and others.

Dearborn is 47% Arab American, the highest percentage among cities in the U.S., according to census data.

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Earlier this year, Dearborn City Council approved three resolutions calling for Arabic-language ballots. At the time, Darany had expressed concern about getting it done in time for elections in 2022, saying it would require time and manpower the city may not have. Garrett also initially expressed concern about the ballots, questioning whether there was a legal basis to have them. She later supported the ballots.

Darany reiterated his earlier concerns in his email to city council members last week, telling them of the ballot error.

"The State, County and my office warned, from day one, that to insure a smooth and accurate process, at least one year was needed to add another language ballot to an election," Darany wrote in his email. "That warning proved to be accurate."

Have more voters been affected?

It's unclear whether the city found additional voters affected since Thursday. Darany did not respond to an email from the Free Press asking for updated numbers.

Earlier this year, the city of Dearborn had a contract with Global Interpreting Services of Clinton Township to translate Arabic-language ballots in the August primary. That translation was reviewed and proofed by the three-member commission Siblani was part of.

But Global did not have a contract for the November election and was not involved in the latest translations, Global President Dawn Flanigan told the Free Press on Sunday.

What will happen in future elections?

Darany said the city has been seeking guidance form the state's Election Bureau.

In accordance with guidance from the State of Michigan Election Bureau, election officials have been instructed to give Arabic ballot users, whether in early or absentee voting or on Election Day, a written statement explaining the error,  Darany said in the city's statement.

"It is important to note that the Arabic ballots have been tested in accordance with election protocols, and the ballots can accurately register up to two selections in the affected section."

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Darany said "these ballots were subject to a thorough review by a highly selective translation committee. However, errors can still happen."

Darany added city officials regret the error, but "are committed to working closely with all county and state election officials to ensure a fair and transparent resolution."

What has Michigan's secretary of state said?

Aneta Kiersnowski Crisp, press secretary for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, said Monday to the Free Press: “The Bureau of Elections provided guidance to the clerk’s office to ensure that all Dearborn voters are informed and able to vote for their preferred candidates.”

In July, a few weeks before the August primary, Benson touted the ballots as the first time Michigan would have them in the Arabic language.

"In a moment where there are so many efforts to divide and deter citizen engagement, it's inspiring to see Dearborn, Hamtramck and Wayne County leadership come together to show government can be responsive to citizens' needs and deliver results," Benson said.

Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or Twitter @nwarikoo.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Election day: Michigan city's Arabic-language ballots have an error