close
close

Chinese student will face criminal charges for voting in Michigan. Looks like the vote will be counted

Chinese student will face criminal charges for voting in Michigan. Looks like the vote will be counted

A University of Michigan student from China who is not a U.S. citizen allegedly voted in Ann Arbor early Sunday and was charged with two felonies, six days before the pivotal presidential election.

The filing of the charges was revealed in a statement Wednesday by the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office and the Washtenaw County District Attorney’s Office. The press release did not identify the student but described him only as a “non-U.S. citizen.”

The 19-year-old from China was legally present in the United States but was not a citizen, meaning he could not legally vote, according to the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office. He registered to vote Sunday, signed a document identifying himself as a U.S. citizen, and his ballot was tabulated, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

The UM student voter then contacted the local clerk’s office and asked if she could somehow get her ballot back, according to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office.

It appears the student’s ballot may be valid in the upcoming election, even though it was cast illegally, because there is no way for election officials to retrieve the ballot once it has been passed through a tabulator. This regulation aims to prevent ballots from being traced to a single voter.

“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,” said a joint statement from the offices of Benson and Washtenaw County District Attorney Eli Savit. “We are also grateful to law enforcement for their prompt and thorough investigation of this case.

“Anyone who attempts to vote illegally faces significant consequences, including but not limited to arrest and prosecution.”

The person is accused of perjury (making a false statement on an affidavit to secure voter registration) and being an unauthorized voter attempting to vote. The second allegation is a felony under Michigan law, punishable by up to four years behind bars and a fine of up to $2,000. The standard penalty for perjury in Michigan is 15 years in prison, but it’s unclear what would happen for lying on a voting application in this case.

There has been a case of “potential voter fraud” in Ann Arbor, the city’s manager, Milton Dohoney Jr., a green student at the University of Michigan, said in a message to Ann Arbor City Council members obtained by The Detroit News. card holder.

“Through a series of actions, the student was apparently able to register, receive an ballot, and vote,” Dohoney wrote in an email Monday. “In the scenario we heard this morning, the student was fully aware of what he was doing and it was illegal.”

Dohoney acknowledged in his email that the story “may be picked up by regional or perhaps national media.”

Under 2018 ballot proposal approved by 67% of voters Under the support, people can register to vote in Michigan up to and including Election Day if they are 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, a Michigan resident, and can provide proof of residence. It may include proof of residence, driver’s license, state identification card, utility bill, or college records. According to the Secretary of State’s website.

In a statement made on the Secretary of State’s website and the Washtenaw County District Attorney’s Office, it was stated that non-US citizens voting was “an extremely isolated and rare event.”

“Let’s be clear: Voting records are public,” the statement said. “Any citizen who attempts to vote fraudulently in Michigan will expose himself to great risk and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

In 2012, during a legal battle over Michigan’s voter application requiring individuals to prove U.S. citizenship under penalty of perjury, then-Republican Secretary of State Ruth Johnson’s office said there were two examples of Canadians voting in Michigan elections using the state to register driver’s licenses were issued.

Presidential race between former Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in Michigan is expected to be close. some experts I guessed It may fall into tens of thousands of votes.

In 2020, Trump lost Michigan to Democrat Joe Biden. 154,188 votes or about 3 percentage points48%-51%. Republicans continued after this election. False or unproven claims He said widespread voter fraud affected the outcome in Michigan. But bipartisan election boards, a series of court rulings and an investigation by the GOP-controlled state The full Senate Oversight Committee approved the result..

But accusations about the 2020 election have helped increase scrutiny of the 2024 election.

In recent weeks, prominent Trump supporter Elon Musk, described as the richest man in the world, has been posting about Michigan’s voter rolls on social media. During a rally in Oakland County on Saturday, Trump called out Michigan’s early voting system.nonsense” and supported people who “proved” they were U.S. citizens before voting.

“Bad things happen,” Trump said.

Michigan voters approved a 2022 ballot measure in the state Constitution that provides the right to vote at least nine days early, in person. That amendment was accepted support 60%.

Michigan Secretary of State’s Office website says In each state, “only U.S. citizens have the right to vote or register to vote in any state or federal election.”

“There is no evidence to support claims that large numbers of non-citizens have voted in past elections or registered to vote in 2024,” the Secretary of State’s website says.

[email protected]

Staff Writer Melissa Nann Burke contributed.