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    Chinese student faces criminal charges for voting in Michigan. The ballot paper will obviously count
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    Chinese student faces criminal charges for voting in Michigan. The ballot paper will obviously count

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    6 minutes, 45 seconds Read

    Ann Arbor – A University of Michigan student who is from China and is not a U.S. citizen is believed to have voted in Ann Arbor on Sunday and is charged with two felonies six days before a crucial presidential election.

    The filing of the charges was announced Wednesday in a statement from the office of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and the Washtenaw County District Attorney's Office. The press release did not identify the student, describing him only as a “non-U.S. citizen.”

    Subscribers: Voter ID laws are in the spotlight following charges against Chinese students in Michigan

    The 19-year-old from China was legally in the United States but was not a citizen, meaning he could not legally cast a vote, according to the Michigan Secretary of State's office. He registered to vote Sunday using his UM student ID and other documents proving his residence in Ann Arbor, signed a document identifying himself as a U.S. citizen and his ballot was turned into one, according to the State Department Tab entered.

    According to Ann Arbor's city manager, the ballot was dropped off at an early voting location at the University of Michigan Art Museum on State Street.

    The UM student voter later contacted the local office and asked if there was any way he could get his ballot back, according to Benson's office.

    The student's ballot is expected to count in the upcoming election — even though it was cast illegally — because there is no way for election officials to recover it once it is checked by a tabulator, according to two sources familiar with election laws of Michigan are familiar. The device is intended to prevent ballot papers from being assigned to a single voter.

    “We are grateful for the quick 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 Prosecutor Eli Savit. “We also thank law enforcement for their quick and thorough investigation of this case.”

    “Anyone who attempts to vote illegally will face significant consequences, including arrest and criminal prosecution.”

    Benson and Savit are both Democrats.

    The person, who was not identified, faces charges of perjury – making false statements in an affidavit to ensure voter registration – and unauthorized voter attempting to vote. The latter charge is a felony punishable by up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000 under Michigan law. The standard penalty for perjury in Michigan is 15 years in prison, but it's unclear what that would be in this case involving lying on a ballot application.

    A UM police officer administered a swearing-in at a law enforcement investigation before 3 p.m. Wednesday morningTh District Judge Tamara Garwood on two election lawsuits filed against the student by Savit, said court administrator Shryl Samborn.

    As of Wednesday afternoon, the student had not been charged. The student is being represented by UM Student Legal Services, Samborn said.

    UM spokeswoman Colleen Mastony directed questions to Benson and Slavit's offices Wednesday.

    In a message to Ann Arbor City Council members obtained by The Detroit News, Milton Dohoney Jr., the city manager, said there was a case of “potential voter fraud in Ann Arbor” involving a Green student at the University of Michigan Card holder was involved.

    “Through a series of measures, the student appeared to be able to register, receive a ballot and cast his or her vote,” Dohoney wrote in an email Monday. “Based on the scenario we are hearing this morning, the student was fully aware of what he was doing and that it was not legal.”

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

    “An extremely isolated and rare event”

    Under a 2018 ballot proposal that voters approved with 67% approval, people in Michigan can register to vote up to and including Election Day. Proof of residency for voting can be a driver's license, state ID card, utility bill or college records, according to the Secretary of State's website.

    “It's unbelievable that someone has to prove their citizenship to get on a plane or get a job in this country, but you can still vote and sign a waiver just based on your word,” said Sarah Hubbard, a Republican and former Chair of the “Now the vote counts and cannot be reversed.”

    With nine days until Sunday before in-person voting, Hubbard said there is a lot of pressure on campus right now for students to vote. “I hope it was an innocent mistake,” she said.

    The statement on the Washtenaw County Secretary of State and District Attorney's Office website described voting by non-U.S. citizens as “an extremely isolated and rare event.”

    “One thing should be made clear: voting results are public,” the statement continued. “Any non-citizen who attempts to vote fraudulently in Michigan puts themselves at grave risk and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

    Attorney General Dana Nessel, the state's top law enforcement official and a Democrat, said her office has launched an independent, parallel investigation into election fraud allegations in Ann Arbor.

    “It is the responsibility of every resident of this state and this nation to obey the law, and Michigan election law makes clear that non-citizens are not allowed to vote in our elections,” Nessel said. “We take all allegations of election fraud extremely seriously and the public should expect nothing less.”

    In 2012, then-Republican Secretary of State Ruth Johnson's office said during litigation over Michigan's voter proposal, which requires individuals to confirm their U.S. citizenship under penalty of perjury, there was evidence of two cases in which Canadians voted in elections in Michigan would have voted using civic means. issued driving licenses for registration.

    The presidential race in Michigan is expected to be close between Republican former President Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Some experts have predicted it could come down to tens of thousands of votes.

    In 2016, Trump won the state 47.5% to 47.3%, or 10,704 votes ahead of Democrat Hillary Clinton.

    In 2020, Trump lost Michigan to Democrat Joe Biden by 154,188 votes, or about 3 percentage points, 48%-51%. After that election, the Republican clung to false or unsubstantiated claims that widespread voter fraud influenced the outcome in Michigan. However, bipartisan caucuses, a series of court rulings and an investigation by the Republican Party-controlled Senate Oversight Committee all confirmed the result.

    But the allegations about the 2020 election have contributed to greater scrutiny of the 2024 election.

    In recent weeks, Elon Musk, a prominent Trump supporter described as the richest man in the world, has posted on social media about Michigan's voter rolls. And during a rally in Oakland County on Saturday, Trump called Michigan's early voting system “ridiculous” and advocated for people to “prove” they are U.S. citizens before casting their vote.

    “Bad things happen,” Trump claimed.

    Michigan voters approved a 2022 election proposal that would enshrine in the state constitution a right to at least nine days of early, in-person voting. This amendment was adopted with 60% support.

    The Michigan Secretary of State's website states in each state: “Only U.S. citizens are eligible to register to vote or vote in any state or federal election.”

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

    In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, a Republican from Caledonia and chairman of a special House committee investigating China's power, accused Benson of failing to “prevent the casting of this illegal vote.”

    “The University of Michigan should expel this student for violating our laws, and state leaders must take serious action against the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to influence our state,” Moolenaar said in a statement. “Secretary Benson must tell us how she will prevent similar voter fraud next week and protect our elections from CCP interference.”

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    Staff writer Melissa Nann Burke contributed.

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