Michigan State Police are investigating Hamtramck City Councilman Abu Musa after surveillance footage appeared to show ballots being illegally deposited at a municipal drop box four days before the city’s Aug. 5 primary election. The video, filmed on Aug. 1, depicts Musa seated in a car while another individual places three bundles of papers—alleged absentee ballots—into the box. Investigators have verified the recording’s authenticity, according to a state police spokesperson. Musa won the non-partisan primary with 1,129 votes, of which 843 were absentee ballots, unofficial results show. The inquiry comes amid a broader probe of election practices in the Detroit-area city; two of Musa’s council colleagues were charged earlier this month with forging absentee ballots in the 2023 municipal race. No charges have been filed against Musa, but the Attorney General’s office has appointed a special prosecutor because of prior conflicts. Michigan law permits only voters or immediate family members to return absentee ballots, and Hamtramck’s clerk previously reported “unusual patterns” involving identical handwriting and large bundles. The investigation could complicate this fall’s general election in the politically divided state, which President Donald Trump carried in 2024 by about 80,000 votes.