Chinese Student at University of Michigan Charged with Illegal Voting; Ballot Cannot Be Retrieved

Oct 30, 2024, 07:58 PM

A Chinese national and University of Michigan student has been charged with two crimes after allegedly voting illegally in Ann Arbor over the weekend. The 19-year-old student, who is not a U.S. citizen, registered to vote using his university ID and signed a document affirming he is a U.S. citizen. He then cast a ballot on Sunday. His ballot is expected to count in the upcoming election because there is no way for election officials to retrieve it once it's been processed by a tabulator. The student was only discovered when he contacted the county clerk attempting to retrieve his ballot. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit issued a joint statement on the charges, highlighting the challenges in preventing and rectifying illegal voting.