Foreign interference in US elections? Chinese student charged with illegal voting in Michigan

The 19-year-old student, a legal resident in the US but not a citizen, is accused of using his university ID and other documents to register at a polling place on Sunday before casting a same-day ballot.

A Chinese citizen studying at the University of Michigan faces voter fraud and perjury charges after allegedly casting a ballot in the 2024 US election, Michigan authorities announced Wednesday.

The 19-year-old student, a legal resident in the US but not a citizen, is accused of using his university ID and other documents to register at a polling place on Sunday before casting a same-day ballot. Local and federal officials are investigating whether this was an isolated incident or part of a broader attempt at election interference, CNN reported.

After casting his ballot, the student reportedly contacted local election officials, attempting to retrieve his vote. Michigan’s Secretary of State and Attorney General released a joint statement with Ann Arbour prosecutors following the charges.

“Investigations in multiple states and nationwide have found no evidence of large numbers of non-citizens registering to vote. Even less common is a non-citizen actually casting a ballot. When it does happen, we take it extremely seriously,” Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit, both Democrats, stated.

The student is charged with one count of illegal voting and one count of perjury. Legal experts indicate that, if convicted, he could face deportation. The charges come amid heightened scrutiny over election integrity, with former President Donald Trump and Republican supporters vocalising concerns over potential voting by non-citizens. Experts have emphasised that non-citizen voting remains extremely rare and is generally detected promptly.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel confirmed her office’s “independent, parallel investigation,” while Michigan officials work to determine if the incident involved any broader coordinated effort, with federal investigators also assessing the situation.

The logistics of reversing the student’s ballot have raised concerns about election secrecy and procedural limitations. Washtenaw County Clerk Lawrence Kestenbaum stated that once ballots are cast in-person and processed by tabulators, they are mixed with others and lack identifying information, reported CNN.

“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 explained, stressing that such procedures preserve voter anonymity.

This security, although essential, has complicated attempts to retract improperly cast ballots. “An in-person ballot is placed in a tabulator or ballot box, intermingled with other ballots.

This is to preserve secrecy, so you can’t go into the ballot later and confirm who a particular person voted for,” noted David Becker, former Justice Department voting rights official and founder of the Centre for Election Innovation & Research, CNN reported.

Criticism over Michigan’s lack of citizenship verification rules has arisen among GOP state lawmakers. Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, election law expert at Stetson University, noted, “Plucking out an improperly cast ballot is basically impossible because it looks like every other ballot cast by an eligible voter,” explaining the challenges of the secret ballot.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)