Yes, Foreign Nationals Register to Vote in American Elections

Democrats have long dismissed concerns about noncitizen voting, insisting that because it’s already illegal, it doesn’t deserve lawmakers’ attention. However, two recent developments—a federal case in Florida and reports from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—add to the mounting evidence that noncitizens can and do register to vote.

Last month, Uzbek national Sanjar Jamilov pleaded guilty to conspiring to submit over 100 fraudulent voter registration applications, according to the Department of Justice. The Florida resident said Russian national Dmitry Shushlebin hired him and others to submit the registration forms to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections in February and March 2023. Only by their sloppiness in submitting fraudulent social security numbers and addresses did they get caught.

Further evidence comes from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which this month referred 57 cases of voter fraud to the DOJ. These referrals involve noncitizens who were registered to vote and, in some instances, likely did cast ballots. 

(RELATED: Don’t Count Out the SAVE Act Yet for Safeguarding Citizen-Only Voting)

Time to Close the Loopholes

These examples show state-level officials can sometimes detect voter registration fraud if those trying to commit it are amateurs. But without the requirement of foolproof citizenship verification, such as that provided in the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, noncitizens will find loopholes to illegally register to vote.

Democrats’ dismissal of noncitizen voting often hinges on the claim that prosecutions are rare. Republican-led states often must do battle with Democrat administrations in court to purge their rolls of noncitizens. For instance, in 2012 and 2016, former President Barack Obama’s administration tried to stop Florida and Ohio from doing so.

But convictions for voter fraud face roadblocks, often limited to slam-dunk cases like the Jamilov conspiracy in Florida, or when a dedicated task force like the DOGE investigators have the time and resources to focus on the issue. 

We know noncitizens register from the ease with which noncitizens can register and the precedent of registered noncitizens getting convicted.

In 2020, Iranian hackers uploaded a video showing how easy it would be for noncitizens abroad to register by uploading a voter registration form for American citizens living abroad.

Seven states allow residents to register and vote on Election Day without a photo ID—and don’t even count their votes as provisional ballots. This resulted in at least one Chinese national voting in a swing state.

An investigation by MaineWire of Maine’s Medicaid records and the state’s Central Voter Registration found that up to 40 percent of the state’s noncitizens could have been registered to vote in 2024.

In 2024, Guatemalan national Angelica Maria Francisco pleaded guilty to voter fraud in Alabama. She stole the identity of a U.S. citizen in 2011 and used it to obtain a passport and vote in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

In March, Dominican Carlos Abreu pleaded guilty to identity theft and illegally voting in 2016 and 2022. He entered illegally in 2007 and stole a Puerto Rican resident’s identity, using that identity to illegally obtain a Florida driver’s license, register to vote, and obtain a concealed carry permit.

In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission logged over 100,000 identity theft reports involving bogus government documents and government benefits claims. This included a 14 percent increase in driver’s license fraud or forgery and a 69 percent increase in passport fraud or forgery over 2022. This drastic increase came undoubtedly because of former President Joe Biden’s open border policies. If foreigners are willing to illegally cross the border or lie about their refugee status, they likely won’t object to illegally voting.

The Tip of the Iceberg

Voter integrity laws do little against identity theft, but the fact so many are willing to risk identity theft sentencing, which carries a harsher penalty than illegally voting, shows the problem of noncitizen voting is larger than Democrats pretend. For instance, Abreu faces up to 32 years in prison, only five of which stem from illegally voting.

The Florida case involved a single conspirator responsible for over 100 fraudulent registrations, while DOGE’s 57 referrals represent only the cases identified so far. Given varying state election laws, many more instances of noncitizen voting likely go undetected. Even a few hundred fraudulent votes can sway close races decided by razor-thin margins. Preventing foreign nationals from affecting American elections demands action. The Senate can take this action by passing the SAVE Act. It won’t prevent all the cases involving identity theft, but it will end fraudulent voting by noncitizens afraid to risk sentences imposed on identity theft.

(READ MORE: Virginia Dems Support Non-Citizen Voting in Congress)