The student later contacted the city clerk’s office and attempted to retract the illegal vote, which had already been processed through the tabulator.
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 jointly 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 one count of perjury for “making a false affidavit for the purpose of securing voter registration.”
According to the joint statement, the noncitizen vote 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,” the statement read.
The state officials stated 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 Oct. 27. 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 had already been processed through the tabulator.
Detroit News reported that the illegal vote, once cast, cannot be retracted, as the vote tabulators do not track votes back to the individuals who cast them.
By Catherine Yang and Eva Fu
