(The Center Square) – A noncitizen Chinese student at the University of Michigan has been charged with voter fraud after allegedly illegally registering to vote using his student ID and then casting a ballot at an early voting site.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit issued a joint statement calling the Oct. 27 incident an “isolated and rare event” after the Detroit News first reported the story Wednesday.
“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,” Benson and Savit said. “We are also grateful to law enforcement for swiftly and thoroughly investigating this case. Anyone who attempts to vote illegally faces significant consequences, including but not limited to arrest and prosecution.”
Although the 19-year-old male student is facing felony and perjury charges, it is likely that his vote will still be counted even if he is convicted, as there is no way for a ballot to be retrieved once it is submitted in the tabulator machine.
Attorney General Dana Nessel announced her office is also conducting an independent investigation.
“My office is aware of the Ann Arbor voter fraud allegation and subsequent charges. It is the responsibility of each and every resident of this state and nation to adhere to the law, and Michigan election law makes clear that non-citizens cannot vote in our elections,” Nessel said. “We take all allegations of voter fraud extremely seriously, and the public should expect nothing less.”
Republican lawmakers have been quick to cast the blame on their Democrat counterparts for recent election law reforms that they say have weakened election security measures.
“Only U.S. citizens should vote in American elections, but because of Democrats, this foreign national was able to just sign a form and vote without providing proof of citizenship,” Michigan House Republican Leader Matt Hall said. “We need to undo Democrats’ attacks on our elections, strengthen ID and citizenship verification requirements, and end the practice of issuing untraceable on-demand ballots.”
