MICHIGAN: Democrats Insist Noncitizen Voting Isn’t a Problem. The Evidence Says Otherwise.

From a Chinese national voting with a student ID to two Iranian criminals still on the rolls, Michigan has a noncitizen voting problem.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) has repeatedly told voters the state's voter rolls are clean, noncitizen voting is basically a myth, and the state’s voting laws are just fine. One problem: foreigners—from adversarial countries no less—keep voting in Michigan.

Recent undercover investigations by O'Keefe Media Group (OMG) revealed two Iranian nationals, who are felony sex offenders, are illegally registered to vote in Michigan. The state restores felons’ right to vote as soon as they get out of prison, so it doesn’t bother removing them from its Qualified Voter File. But their lack of U.S. citizenship alone should automatically disqualify them.

Afshin Masheli appears on the Department of Homeland Security's “Worst of the Worst” list of noncitizens arrested for serious crimes, with a conviction for first-degree sexual misconduct. Federal records confirm he entered the United States on a visitor visa and remains subject to a final removal order because of his convictions. None of that, however, stopped Michigan's Qualified Voter File from recording him as having cast ballots in 2016, 2020, and 2024, according to the OMG report.

On Michigan’s primary day, poll workers confirmed to an undercover OMG journalist that it simply does not matter that Masheli is a noncitizen and a convicted sex offender. Registration alone satisfies state law to receive a ballot.

A Dangerous Pattern

Liberty Initiative Fund (LIF) has funded an ad, which highlights Masheli’s case to bring greater awareness to the problem.

“The issue is voter ID,” LIF President Paul Jacob told Restoration News. “O'Keefe found out he’s still on the voting roll. If he tries to vote, they'll let him vote, and [the Iranian] said he plans to vote.”

But Masheli isn't the only one. Fazlollah Haritash, a second Iranian noncitizen, also turned up on the rolls despite federal identification as a noncitizen, a conviction for lewd acts with a minor, and current incarceration. Election workers at a Farmington Hills polling site confirmed his registration as well.

Restoration News has verified both, thanks to Michigan providing Voter Reference Foundation (VRF) its voter file (along with 34 other states). Unlike some states that have fought voter transparency, Michigan “has been nice to work with,” VRF Executive Director Joseph Benson told Restoration News. Users can search for voters on voteref.com by name or address.

In 2024, a Chinese national infamously got away with illegally voting in Michigan using his student ID. The student ultimately had his passport confiscated but avoided prosecution by leaving the country on a second passport. The real tragedy was that he was allowed to vote in the first place, thus canceling the vote of a legitimate Michigander.

For Jacob, who has spent a decade leading the charge to enshrine citizen-only voting in state constitutions, the common thread is a state election system that simply isn't built to catch these cases.

“Benson is running for governor, and she has been terrible in saying the voting list is perfect—there are no noncitizens registered to vote, and, lo and behold, before the November [2024] election, we find out about the Chinese student that voted," he said.

"When they don't have any voter ID requirement, they can't determine if the person is eligible to vote," he added. "All you have to do is sign a statement. This really brings home the idea that there's nothing serious to stop noncitizens from voting."

Solutions on the Table

Congress already has a vehicle to fix this nationwide if it wants. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act would mandate citizenship verification and photo ID in federal elections. It has already passed the House and is waiting on Senate Republicans to force the issue through a talking filibuster.

Michigan voters, meanwhile, may not have to wait for Washington. LIF has funded an effort there to get an election integrity amendment on the November ballot. If voters approve, it will mandate proof of citizenship at registration, a photo ID to vote, and strict voter roll maintenance. Organizers submitted roughly 750,000 signatures—well above the required threshold—and polling shows the underlying reforms enjoy support well above 80 percent among Michigan voters.

Noncitizen voting cases like the Chinese student and the Iranian sex offenders offer egregious evidence that, despite Democrats’ claims to the contrary, Michigan’s voting laws need reform. The constitutional amendment that Michiganders will get a chance to vote for on Nov. 3 provides the necessary fix, so this will not keep happening. Groups like VRF give citizens the resources to see if something is amiss on their state’s voter roll. Groups like LIF give them the resources to do something about it.

Restoration of America is fighting to pass the SAVE America Act. Contact your Senator today and demand action that will safeguard our elections.

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