State Panel Will Have to Certify Detroit Mayoral Primary Results After County Refuses To

Some counts show a write-in candidate in first, others the county sheriff--either way the two will face off in November

 A state election panel will have to decide who really came in first in this city's August primary after Wayne County election officials Tuesday refused to certify new election results that show Wayne County's sheriff winning over the former CEO of Detroit Medical Center.

The ballot tally flip was the result of the county board questioning the validity of about 20,000 write-in votes not recorded at polling locations using hash marks, which would cause the result of the Aug. 6 non-partisan primary to change — with Benny Napoleon, the Wayne County sheriff, receiving more votes than write-in candidate Mike Duggan, also a former Wayne County prosecutor. Fourteen candidates were on the ballot.