Noncitizen Chinese Student Charged With Voting Illegally in Michigan

Voters take to the ballots outside of Farmington, Mich., on Oct. 26, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Michigan officials have charged a non-U.S. citizen Chinese student for casting an illegal vote at an early voting site in Ann Arbor on Oct. 27.

“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,” the offices of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit stated on Oct. 30.

A clerk had alerted officials about the illegal vote, leading to an investigation. The noncitizen was charged with one count of “unauthorized elector attempting to vote” and a count of perjury for “making a false affidavit for the purpose of securing voter registration.”

Officials said the non-citizen voting was “an extremely isolated and rare event.”

“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. When it does happen, we take it extremely seriously. Our elections are secure and Michigan’s state and local election officials carefully follow the law,” officials said.

The officials noted that voting records are public, and any attempts by noncitizens to vote fraudulently will be exposed, and fraudulent voters prosecuted.

Benson’s office confirmed to The Epoch Times that the defendant is a Chinese national and student at the University of Michigan.

The 19-year-old had registered to vote on Sunday. He established residency in Ann Arbor by using his student identification and other documentation. He also signed a document vouching for his supposed U.S. citizenship, the office said.

The student later contacted the city clerk’s office and attempted to retract the illegal vote, according to Benson’s office. His ballot was already processed through the tabulator.

Detroit News had reported that the illegal vote cast cannot be retracted, as the vote tabulators do not track votes back to the individuals who cast them.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson testifies during a hearing before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee at Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 12, 2024. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has also opened an investigation into the matter, independent from Savit’s office.

This is the first year Michigan is offering early in-person voting. A 2022 amendment to the state constitution made it so that Michigan voters now have the right to vote in person a minimum of nine full days before any major election.

Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) called on Benson to announce a plan to “prevent similar election fraud in the next week” and “secure our elections against CCP interference.”

“The University of Michigan should expel this student for violating our laws and our state’s leaders need to take serious action against the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to influence our state,” Moolenaar added.