Wayne County canvasser urges update after Ham Tramik absentee ballot irregularities

Lisa Caputina, former chair of the Wayne County Board of Canvasers, told the state board that concerns raised after the November 2025 Ham Tramik mayoral election remain unresolved and asked for an update before absentee ballots are mailed for upcoming elections.

Caputina told the board that unauthorized access to a clerk's locked office on election night, an unusually high number of cure ballots, three precincts judged not recountable during the recount and 37 previously untabulated ballots collectively prompted her to notify the Bureau of Elections with a request for further review. "It has been over 5 months since that election... any update to provide assurance there is accountability in this process would enhance my ability to also serve our electorate," she said.

Director Brader said the bureau referred allegations for criminal investigation where appropriate and has been working with the local clerk on procedural fixes — including physical security of election materials and absentee-ballot handling — but that the ballots in question remain tied up in litigation and therefore are not available for bureau re-review. "We cannot access the ballots still. They're still subject to litigation," Brader said, and added that the bureau would focus on steps it can control, including working with the clerk to tighten access and to make counted materials available when litigation permits.

Caputina asked whether the bureau would coordinate presence or monitoring at upcoming absentee-counting operations in Ham Tramik; Brader said bureau staff expect to work with the local clerk and that the public remains able to observe local canvass and absentee processes. He also said the bureau had forwarded reports to law enforcement where circumstances suggested potential criminal activity.

Why it matters: Caputina's request highlights the overlap between administrative canvass duties, criminal investigation processes and local election administration. Where ballots are the subject of litigation or criminal inquiry, the bureau's ability to act is limited; the bureau's role is to coordinate improvements to process and to refer criminal matters to law enforcement.

Next steps: Director Brader said the bureau would continue to work with the local clerk to improve procedures and that any further formal investigative documents filed with law enforcement or the board would be published and shared with board members as allowed by law.