Chinese Student Faces Criminal Charges for Illegal Vote, But Ballot May Still Count

A Chinese national, who appears to be an illegal voter, is facing charges.

However, his illegal vote is likely to count.

That’s the situation in Michigan where authorities stumbled upon a University of Michigan student who voted Sunday but is not a U.S. citizen.

In legal theory, only American citizens can vote in federal elections.

However, because in some states that involves checking a box or signing a statement and not providing proof, catching noncitizens in the act is infrequent.

🚨 #BREAKING: Chinese student facing criminal charges after ILLEGALLY VOTING in Michigan

INFURIATING!

This voter fraud would’ve NEVER been detected, as the only reason we know about it is because the man asked for his ballot back after it was counted.

The worst part? HIS VOTE… pic.twitter.com/BtEoRwPxdw

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 30, 2024

The case involves a 19-year-old individual Chinese student whose name is being kept a secret.

The student presented information on Sunday to show identification and residency, signed the paper saying he was an American citizen, and voted, the office of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said, according to Detroit News.

No one would have been the wiser, according to Benson’s office, but the student opened up an investigation into himself by contacting the local clerk’s office wondering if he could get his ballot back.

“We’re grateful for the swift action of the clerk in this case, who took the appropriate steps and referred the case to law enforcement,” a joint statement from the offices of Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit said.

A Chinese foreign exchange student has been charged with multiple crimes for illegally voting in Michigan on Sunday.

Despite not being a citizen, his ballot is going to count because “there is no way for election officials to retrieve it.” pic.twitter.com/Fqf65C61Vg

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 30, 2024

The student ended up with two felonies: perjury for making a false statement in registering to vote and being an unauthorized elector who tried to vote.

The Detroit News noted that Ann Arbor city administration Milton Dohoney Jr. said in an to city council members that the student has a green card.

“Through a series of actions, the student was apparently able to register, receive a ballot and cast a vote,” Dohoney wrote. “Based upon the scenario that we’re hearing this morning, the student was fully aware of what he was doing, and that it was not legal.”

CNN reported that its sources said investigators are trying to learn if this was part of a wider effort by China to interfere in the election or an isolated incident.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said her office has launched an “independent, parallel investigation,” along with the criminal one.

Washtenaw County Clerk Lawrence Kestenbaum said whoever the illegal voter voted for will get those votes because with in-person voting, there is no way to go back into the system to know which vote was illegal.

“There’s a box of ballots underneath the tabulator and all of the ballots — they all look the same. … There’s no way to go back and undo it,” Kestenbaum said.

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