A Chinese national residing in the United States who was charged with voting illegally in the 2024 U.S. general elections has fled the country, federal authorities said on Friday.
The student had surrendered his Chinese passport in November and was told not to leave Michigan. But he traveled to China from Detroit in January by showing another passport, the FBI said in a court filing.
An arrest warrant was issued in April after he failed to appear at two court hearings in Ann Arbor. He was facing charges of perjury and attempting to vote as an unauthorized elector, a felony.
He now faces a federal charge, though the United States does not have an extradition treaty with China.
After casting his vote, the student had contacted the city clerk’s office to retract the illegal vote, according to Benson’s office. By this time, the vote had already been processed through the tabulator.
Since tabulators do not track votes back to the person who cast them, it is not possible for an illegal vote to be retracted.
A clerk alerted officials regarding the matter, leading to an investigation, which resulted in the Chinese national being charged in October with one count of perjury for “making a false affidavit for the purpose of securing voter registration” and one count of “unauthorized elector attempting to vote.”
“It is illegal to lie on any registration forms or voting applications about one’s citizenship status. Doing so is a felony,” they said.
Ensuring Secure Voting
Last month, the Michigan Department of State released the results of a review that compared the state’s voting records with vehicle records, finding that 15 people appearing to be non-citizens cast their ballots in the 2024 general elections, according to an April 3 statement from Benson’s office.Benson said it was a “serious issue,” and that she will work with lawmakers on “reasonable, data-driven efforts to improve security while ensuring that eligible citizens can always make their voice heard.”
“First it was 1, now it’s 15. The truth is, we have no idea how many. And now that everyone knows the loophole exists, how many more if we don’t close it!” he said.
The bill seeks to amend the state constitution, making it mandatory for proof of citizenship to be submitted when registering to vote. In addition, a photo ID must be shown to cast a ballot.
“This is an irresponsible proposal that would have serious consequences on our voting rights, potentially blocking tens of thousands of legal, legitimate voters from casting their ballots, including seniors, rural residents, people who have been recently married or divorced, college students, and voters of color,” he said.
Camilleri’s office said many Americans lack an acceptable photo ID due to which the bill would create barriers to voting.
Posthumus called the argument that some Americans may not have the necessary IDs “ridiculous, because to function as an adult in our society today you need ID.”
“But just to make sure that isn’t a stumbling block, the state will have to provide photo ID for free to people who cannot afford it. Problem solved,” he said.
