Michigan: 15 noncitizens suspected of voting in presidential election

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A review by the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office found 15 additional people who may have voted in the 2024 general election despite not being U.S. citizens—a significant increase from previous reports. The newly identified voters are scattered across Michigan, with no immediate indication of any broader coordinated effort, officials said.

The information comes as lawmakers at both the state and federal level consider requiring documentary proof of citizenship before voters are able to register. 

The results of the review, first reported by The Detroit News, are in addition to the single reported instance of noncitizen voting: Haoxiang Gao, a University of Michigan student who allegedly cast a vote in Ann Arbor last year despite not being a U.S. citizen. Gao faces felony charges for the accused crime and is expected in court later this month.

Though the 15 potential noncitizen voters represent a tiny fraction of the more than 5.7 million ballots cast in the 2024 general election, Michigan Republicans pointed to the findings as justification for their recent proposed constitutional amendment, which would require new voters to prove their citizenship at the time they register. The amendment leaves it to future Legislatures to define what qualifies as valid proof. Voters already registered could also be forced to prove their citizenship as the proposal requires the state to run continual citizenship checks on the voting rolls.

“First it was 1, now it’s 15,” Rep. Bryan Posthumus, a Republican from Rockford and the primary author of the proposal, said in a social media post shortly after news broke. “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!”

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Angela Benander, spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Office, said the state began cross-checking Michigan driver’s license records with the Qualified Voter File — the state’s official list of more than 8.1 million registered voters — late last year. Noncitizens can legally obtain Michigan driver’s licenses and state IDs, so the comparison focused on individuals listed as noncitizens in licensing records who also voted in the general election.

Officials noted that newly naturalized citizens don’t always immediately update the state, instead opting to show their new citizenship when they next renew their license. 

Of 15 new potential cases, 13 were referred to Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office for investigation. One of the 15 people has died since voting. The final person is being investigated for other potentially fraudulent voter activity, SOS spokesperson Angela Benander told Votebeat.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, in an emailed statement to Votebeat, said that noncitizen voting was a “serious issue” but one that required “a scalpel, not a sledgehammer.”

“Our careful review confirms what we already knew – that this illegal activity is very rare. While we take all violations of election law very seriously, this tiny fraction of potential cases in Michigan and at the national level do not justify recent efforts to pass laws we know would block tens of thousands of Michigan citizens from voting in future elections,” said Benson, a Democrat who is running for governor. “Instead of those failed policies, we will continue to work with lawmakers on reasonable, data-driven efforts to improve security while ensuring that eligible citizens can always make their voice heard.”

Nessel’s office confirmed it was reviewing the cases, saying it would announce charges if they were filed.

“Attorney General Nessel is, of course, disappointed to learn any number of non-citizens were able to cast ballots in our recent elections, and Michiganders should be assured that those criminally responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Nessel spokesperson Danny Wimmer said.

Benander said Michigan’s findings are consistent with other states. In Georgia, for instance, officials last year found that about 20 noncitizens on the state’s voter rolls of more than 8.2 million registered voters. Benander said the state will do similar analyses in the future to ensure only citizens are voting in the state’s elections.

Benson has acknowledged noncitizen voting as a legitimate concern, but argues that requiring broad documentary proof would not solve the issue. Benson said in February that she would instead work with Democrats in the legislature to close loopholes that make noncitizen voting possible, although no such legislation has been introduced yet.

The proposed constitutional amendment, known as House Joint Resolution B, passed out of the House Election Integrity Committee last month and is now before the full Michigan House, where it has the support of a Republican majority. But even if it passes the House, it faces slim odds in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

A parallel citizen-led effort may move the proposal forward instead.  “Prove It, Michigan,” the group backing a ballot initiative to require proof-of-citizenship, is scheduled to appear before the Board of State Canvassers as soon as this month to confirm their proposed ballot language. If approved, they could immediately begin collecting the more than 446,000 signatures required to be on the ballot.

Hayley Harding is a reporter for Votebeat based in Michigan. Contact Hayley at [email protected].