A Chinese student accused of illegally voting has been charged with two crimes, but his vote will still count in the swing state’s final tally.
The 19-year-old student at the University of Michigan, who has not been named, is a non-U.S. citizen meaning he is ineligible to vote. However, on Sunday, Oct. 27, the student registered his residency using his student identification, signed a document declaring himself as a U.S. citizen, and cast his vote. The story here is just how easily it is to illegally vote.
Although he later contacted the local clerk office to retrieve his ballot, the student’s vote will still count due to state laws designed to protect anonymity making it impossible to identify which ballot is his.
Local media reports that Ann Arbor City Council members were made aware of “potential voter fraud in Ann Arbor” involving a UM student who’s a green card holder. “
“Through a series of actions, the student was apparently able to register, receive a ballot and cast a vote,” city administrator Milton Dohoney Jr. said in the email. “Based upon the scenario that we’re hearing this morning, the student was fully aware of what he was doing, and that it was not legal.”
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are tied in state polls, which the Democrat was expected to narrowly win earlier in the year.
Many on social media raised concerns over election integrity, with some critical of the student’s actions.
Others believed it effectively confirmed that illegal voters could still cast their ballot, even if they are not entitled to do so.
