A Chinese student attending the University of Michigan was taken into custody on Wednesday, implicated in the recent Republican campaign’s focus on alleged widespread voter fraud involving illegal immigrants.
The Michigan Department of State announced that the 19-year-old student, whose identity has not been disclosed, participated in voting during the U.S. presidential election on Sunday in Ann Arbor. He now faces charges for acting as an “unauthorized elector attempting to vote” and committing “perjury” by providing false information to obtain registration.
The state office emphasized, “Only U.S. citizens are eligible to register and vote in our elections,” highlighting that instances of non-citizen voting are exceedingly rare and isolated. “It is a felony to falsify any registration forms or voting applications regarding citizenship status,” they warned.
According to the secretary of state’s office, the Chinese student, who lawfully entered the U.S. and possesses permanent residency but not citizenship, registered to vote that Sunday using his student ID along with other documents proving his residency in Ann Arbor. He allegedly signed a form asserting he was a U.S. citizen and submitted his ballot through an automatic tabulator.
As reported by The Detroit News, this ballot was cast at an early voting location within the university’s art museum. Subsequently, the student purportedly reached out to the local clerk’s office inquiring if there was a way to retract his ballot, which was not feasible once it had been processed by the counting machine.
Each U.S. state sets its own voting regulations, and under Michigan law, attempting to vote as an unauthorized elector carries a penalty of up to four years in prison, with perjury punishable by up to 15 years.
In a joint statement, Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit expressed gratitude for the clerk’s “swift action” in identifying the issue and referring the matter to law enforcement. They stated, “Anyone who attempts illegal voting will face substantial repercussions, including arrest and prosecution.”
