Non-US citizen faces felony charges after allegedly voting in Ann Arbor
In response to the incident, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson assured residents that Michigan’s elections are secure, noting that noncitizen voting is “extremely isolated and rare.”
Authorities have charged a 19-year-old Chinese student in Ann Arbor with voting illegally.
The unidentified University of Michigan student allegedly registered and voted on Sunday. While the student has a green card, he is not legally allowed to vote in U.S. elections.
The student faces two felony charges authorized by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office:
- Unauthorized Elector Attempting To Vote
- Perjury – Making a False Affidavit for Purpose of Securing Voter Registration
The Michigan Attorney General’s office has commenced its own parallel investigation.
The Michigan Republican party blamed Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, for the alleged crime.
“This individual’s ability to vote is a direct result of Secretary Benson’s disregard for the integrity of our electoral system and her continued efforts to weaken Michigan’s election laws. It’s an insult to Michiganders. Nobody should be able to lie and cast a vote,” Michigan GOP spokesperson Victoria LaCivita said in an email to Michigan Public.
Benson, in a joint statement with Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney Eli Savit, also a Democrat, said Michigan’s elections are secure, saying noncitizen voting is “extremely isolated and rare,” and records of who voted in each election are public, so anyone attempting to vote fraudulently is “exposing themselves to great risk.”
“Our duty to the law is paramount, as is our responsibility to ensure that every eligible voter is able to register and cast a ballot,” Benson and Savit said.
