A student at the University of Michigan has been slapped with a pair of criminal charges stemming from an illegal vote he cast less than ten days before the presidential election.
The student is a Chinese national who’s in the United States legally to attend school, but he is a non-citizen.
This past Sunday he registered to vote using a student identification, documents establishing residency in Ann Arbor, and allegedly signing a document stating he is a U.S. citizen.
The problem is that he isn’t. A press release issued by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) describes the student as “a non-U.S. citizen.”
The illegal voter has been charged with a felony count of making an unauthorized attempt to vote and another count of perjury.
“Only U.S. citizens can register and vote in our elections. It is illegal to lie on any registration forms or voting applications about one’s citizenship status. Doing so is a felony,” a statement from Benson’s office reads.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit make a joint statement on the charges filed against a non-citizen for allegedly illegally registering to vote and casting a ballot in the 2024 General Election: https://t.co/EbcL5c6iEh pic.twitter.com/toimSaT4yj
— Michigan Department of State (@MichSoS) October 30, 2024
It’s unclear how much detective work was involved in tracking down the illegal voter, but he seems to have been a substantial source of information himself.
According to the Detroit News, the man seemingly had second thoughts about casting the illegal ballot. He reportedly contacted the local clerk’s office to inquire as to how he might be able to retrieve the ballot.
“We are grateful for the swift action of the clerk in this case, who took the appropriate steps and referred the case to law enforcement. We are also grateful to law enforcement for swiftly and thoroughly investigating this case,” Benson’s statement continues. “Anyone who attempts to vote illegally faces significant consequences, including but not limited to arrest and prosecution.”
Here’s where things get truly interesting. According to individuals familiar with Michigan election law, voting systems are designed so that individual voters will not be linked by name to their ballot. Meaning, there is purportedly no way to retrieve this non-citizen’s vote as requested.
“The student’s ballot is expected to count in the upcoming election — although it was illegally cast — because there is no way for election officials to retrieve it once it’s been put through a tabulator,” the outlet states.
Michigan can’t/won’t disqualify an illegal vote cast by a Chinese national because it’s already “been put through a tabulator.” https://t.co/zPo6WledKH pic.twitter.com/bvvmTAOpQh
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) October 30, 2024
Despite the ease with which this Chinese National filled out a form falsely self-identifying as a U.S. citizen, only drawing attention to it by contacting the clerk’s office with regrets, and then casting a vote in the presidential election, officials are assuring the public that such acts of illegally voting are “extremely isolated and rare.”
“Investigations in multiple states and nationwide have found no evidence of large numbers of noncitizens registering to vote. Even less common is a noncitizen actually casting a ballot,” Benson’s office explains. “When it does happen, we take it extremely seriously.”
When it does happen, it’s too late. The vote counts. Why? How hard is it to subtract one from your totals knowing you’ve got an illegal vote in the system?
Benson recently raised election concerns when revealing that she doesn’t expect votes in her state to be certified until after Election Day.
“In 2020, we had the results of our highest turnout election in Michigan history within 24 hours of the polls closing. The unofficial results were completed by 8 p.m. Wednesday, so we’re tracking that again this year,” she admitted. “That said, we will always prioritize accuracy and security over efficiency.”
How accurate are those results now that there’s evidence that a non-citizen can easily cast a ballot in the Wolverine State? That’s anybody’s guess. But it seems highly unlikely this individual was the first to ever think of the idea of casting an illegal ballot by making a false claim on the form. How many others got through without suspicion?
The race for President is very tight in Michigan, which represents part of the ‘Blue Wall’ Kamala Harris must hold if she is going to win. A RealClearPolitics Polling average has Donald Trump down by just half a percentage point.
The non-citizen student is facing four years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000 based on the felony charge. The additional punishment for perjury can vary substantially.
