DEARBORN HEIGHTS– There was low voter turnout throughout the day at various precincts in Dearborn Heights, but there was an abundance of representation for the candidates at each station.

Candidate Mo Baydoun had several people at each precinct with signs, Cheez-Its, and conversation for people going to the polls.

Baydoun said he received great feedback from candidates, and that the turnout was nice though it could be better

Reporter Afaf Humayun stopped for lunch in between gathering voter results from precincts, and she caught candidate Bill Bazzi on his break nearby.

“It’s going pretty good,” Bazzi said, adding that he was stopping at all the precincts to talk with voters.

By 1:30pm, there were 34 votes in at precinct one, and 57 votes in at precinct two.

At St. Sabina there are two precincts; precinct five had 50 votes by 2:00pm; this precinct has 1,172 registered voters. Precinct six had 62 while there are 1,476 registered voters.

By 2:25 p.m., Riverside Middle School had 69 votes in at precinct seven, while precinct eight had 99 votes. Combined, this polling location has roughly 2,760 registered voters.

A worker at precinct seventeen stated that they had very low numbers of voters show during the day, but their precinct has a high amount of absentee voters

A worker for precinct ten, Bill Hoffman, stated that he had been working the polls for three years, and he had received a lot of positive responses from voters coming through

Bob Constan, candidate for Dearborn Heights City Council, was stationed outside Berwyn Senior Center.

“Turnout for the primary has been pretty good,” Constan said. He shared that he was thanking everyone for voting.
Also present were volunteers representing candidates Jeff Mallad, Bill Bazzi, and Mo Baydoun.

Inside the senior center was a different story. There are four precincts, and upon walking in it is difficult to know which way to go to vote.

When the city downsized the number of precincts Berwyn ended up with four precincts. Nine and ten are situated at the far end of the building. One family wasn’t sure how to get back to the entrance once they voted because they had to go through so many hallways.

Councilman Ray Muscat was present at the Canfield Community Center where he was engaging voters in the parking lot in support of multiple candidates.
“A lot of people have already made up their mind to vote,” said Muscat. “So handing out the literature right now seems like a moot point. I’m glad they’ve already done their homework to vote, and their mind’s all set. That’s a positive for the community.”

Candidate Jeff Mallad who is a first-time candidate for city council was also present at the community center.

“I look forward to seeing the results,” Mallad said. “Maybe get elected and help improve things in the city which I think I can do.”

One representative in the community center parking lot, Jason Helle, stated he has known Mayoral candidate Ed Garcia for the past twenty years. The two went to high school together in the late 1990s. Helle said that Garcia is an image of change and would be great for the city.

After 5:00 p.m., the number of voters at the polls rises quicker than it does at midday; however, the primary election typically has a lower turnout than the general election.

This primary, there were many candidates engaging voters throughout the day.