DEARBORN, Mich.— Campaign volunteers distributed pre-marked sample ballots near a Dearborn polling place on primary election day Tuesday, according to social media posts and accompanying photographs, in an effort that appeared aimed at Arabic-speaking voters.
Doug Topolski posted photos on Facebook showing printed sheets that closely resembled the official ballot for City of Dearborn Precinct 1 in the Aug. 4 primary. Red X marks covered the Republican Party column and some Democratic candidates. Filled-in ovals indicated preferred choices that included U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and state Rep. Alabas Farhat, all of whom are Arab-American.
A follow-up post clarified that the materials were being handed out by candidate volunteers, not official poll workers. One commenter who voted at Snow School, a polling location, said the cards were offered to Arabic-speaking people but not to him and attributed them to the Farhat campaign team. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson was not marked on the shared card.
Michigan election law prohibits the distribution of campaign materials within 100 feet of a polling place entrance. Activity outside that buffer is generally permitted. Official sample ballots, available online and at polling places, including in Arabic, do not contain pre-marked choices.
The distribution comes amid longstanding political organizing in Dearborn, home to one of the largest Arab-American populations in the United States. Groups such as the Arab American Political Action Committee have endorsed several of the candidates highlighted on the cards.
The episode also follows earlier tensions involving Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. In September 2025, Wayne County placed honorary street signs on a section of Warren Avenue for Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News. Siblani has publicly praised leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas, groups designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government.
At a Dearborn City Council meeting on Sept. 9, 2025, resident Ted Barham objected to the signs, saying they were comparable to naming a street after Hezbollah or Hamas. Hammoud responded by calling Barham a bigot, racist and Islamophobe. “Although you live here, I want you to know as mayor, you are not welcome here,” Hammoud said. “And the day you move out of the city will be the day that I launch a parade celebrating the fact that you moved out of the city.”Video of the exchange was widely circulated. Hammoud later issued a statement praising Dearborn’s diversity but did not apologize. The street designation was a county action; city officials attended the unveiling ceremony.
Voters in Michigan may cast ballots in only one party’s primary and are free to ignore any campaign literature.