Ballot Design Flaw or Fraud?

By Kristine Christlieb, MFEI News & Commentary Editor

January 8, 2025

An independent analysis of absentee ballot images from Detroit's 2020 general election has identified an unusual pattern of "ghost write-ins." The review, conducted by election data specialist Phillip Davis and published January 1, 2026, on BallotAssure.com, examined over 254,000 digitized images from Wayne County's operations.

Davis’ findings focus on absentee ballots processed at 134 Absentee Voting Counting Boards (AVCBs) and 503 precincts during the November 3, 2020, election, a period of record turnout driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In Detroit, absentee ballots made up the overwhelming majority of votes cast, reflecting expanded mail-in options and public health concerns that reduced in-person Election Day turnout," Davis writes in the introduction.

The images, obtained via an open records request by New Jersey resident Yehuda Miller, consist primarily of hand-marked, paper ballots returned by mail or drop box.

A key finding centers on ballot design in down-ballot races. Detroit's 2020 ballot layout placed unlabeled write-in bubbles directly below printed candidate ovals, without text like "Write-in" or "Other." This was evident in judicial contests, such as the Judge of the 3rd Circuit Court, where 15 candidates ran for 15 seats, resulting in 15 unlabeled bubbles. "While one might expect voters to ignore unmarked bubbles, a surprising number filled them in – without writing any name," Davis observes.

These "ghost write-ins" — filled bubbles lacking a candidate name — totaled 11,336 across relevant contests and represent about 4.47% of all ballots cast in Detroit. Davis contrasts this with typical elections, where, he claims, "valid write-ins (with an actual name) usually make up a tiny fraction of votes." The pattern predominantly appeared on hand-marked absentee ballots.

"This pattern raises legitimate questions about ballot clarity, voter understanding, and how design choices may influence voting behavior – especially for voters unfamiliar with the process or using absentee ballots," Davis states.

The analysis includes sample images and subpages detailing instances, such as two pages for the 3rd Circuit Court judges, one for Probate Court Judge, and ballots filled by the same person. It also features a comparison to Georgia's ballots, which include explicit "Write-in" labels.

Posting on X, Patty McMurray, who regularly writes at The Gateway Pundit, had a different take on the ballot anomalies. "HEY, @Jocelyn Benson, DO YOU KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENED AND WHY NO ONE WAS TOLD ABOUT IT during or after your 'perfectly secure' election?"

Michigan Fair Elections Institute (MFEI) is a partner in the on-going analysis of the Yehuda Miller ballots. MFEI Founder and Chair Patrice Johnson said, "Davis' findings are a lead that will get further investigation."

Davis says his goal is to "provide a detailed, data-driven examination of ballot processing and design in one of America's largest cities during a historic election.”