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    • Can non-citizens vote? A Chinese student from Michigan just did it
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    Can non-citizens vote? A Chinese student from Michigan just did it

    Umito Posted on

    Election officials say there is no way to invalidate the ballot cast by a student who is not a citizen since it has already been counted.

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    Let me get that out of the way. I am not a believer in election conspiracy theories and I do not believe Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election.

    I think Trump’s allegations of widespread voter fraud have helped undermine confidence in the election, particularly among his supporters.

    However, Democrats and the mainstream media have pushed the conversation too far in the other direction by paint those who want to increase the security of our elections in any way as wacky conspiracy theorists.

    This should be a bipartisan goal to ensure our elections are only for American citizens.

    It’s not controversial, is it?

    However, by continually avoiding stricter voter ID requirementsDemocrats and their allies are harming their own cause.

    Case in point: Over the weekend, a Chinese University of Michigan student – ​​and non-citizen – seemed to register very easily on the electoral roll and vote in an election the student does not have to vote.

    Election officials say there is no way to invalidate a student’s ballot since it has already been tabulated.

    As a Michigan resident and American citizen, I find this appalling.

    Notice: I am a non-MAGA conservative. Sanctimonious liberals make me want to vote Trump.

    In Michigan, every vote will count in this election

    First, a little more about what happened.

    The student is a 19-year-old Chinese man who registered to vote. using your university ID card and other documents proving your Ann Arbor residencywhere the university is located. The student also signed a document claiming he was a U.S. citizen. His ballot was then entered into a tabulator.

    The only reason the student was arrested was because he then allegedly requested the return of his ballot. The student has now been charged with two felonies, as voting as a non-citizen is illegal in the United States.

    While this may be an isolated incident, it also highlights that fraud can and does occur. If this student escaped fraud first and his vote will be counted, how many others have done so as well?

    In Michigan, a swing state for the presidential election, every vote will count. In 2016, Trump won the state by less than 11,000 votes. And we expect it to be close this time too.

    According to the University of Michigan, during the fall 2023 quarter, there were 12,720 international students, scholars, faculty and staff at university.

    This number is large enough to raise concerns about who is registered to vote.

    It’s not a question of asking voters too much to prove their citizenship

    Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, is trying to calm the situation.

    “Friends: We are in the midst of a battle for the future of our democracy,” Benson posted on social media Thursday. “Voting ends in less than a week. Expect bad actors to take minor issues and use them to fuel baseless conspiracy theories to advance their own agenda. Do not buy into their attempts to create chaos, confusion and fear.”

    Is this a minor problem though?

    “Our laws are intended to ensure that every eligible citizen can vote,” Benson spokeswoman Angela Benander told me via email. “There have been many efforts over the years to examine non-citizen participation in elections – all have reached the same conclusion – that cases like this are very isolated and rare.”

    Benson, who campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harrisalso tried to convince a congressional committee in September that Michigan was ready for elections and blamed threats against election workers on “the spread of misinformation about the security and accuracy of our elections.”

    She told me the same thing in an interview earlier this year.

    Notice: Michigan’s elections chief talks democracy, the November election and, of course, Trump

    Incidents like that of the Chinese student in Michigan undermine the principle that our elections are completely secure.

    Michigan isn’t alone in its voting problems. Thousands of Voter Registration Forms in Pennsylvania have been reported for fraudand Virginia had to seek help from the United States Supreme Court erase its electoral lists of presumed non-citizens.

    A simple solution would be to require proof of citizenship to register to vote, and it’s strange that Democrats are so opposed to that idea.

    Congressional Republicans tried several times this year to pass the SAVE lawwhich would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote federally. But Democrats blocked the measure.

    Democrats complain that it’s it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections. Yet it happens, despite the illegality.

    If Democrats like Benson want us to have confidence in our elections, they should spend less time scolding people and more time to safeguard this fundamental right.

    Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques

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