Multiple Noncitizen Immigrants Indicted on Felony Illegal Voting Charges

Ohio's efforts to combat illegal voting have resulted in the indictment of six individuals.

"The right to vote is sacred," Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost emphasized on his official website. He warned, "If you’re not a U.S. citizen, it’s illegal to vote — whether you thought you were allowed to or not — you will be held accountable."

These incidents of alleged illegal voting stretch from 2008 to 2020. Most of the individuals indicted were legal permanent residents, who, despite their status, were not U.S. citizens at the time and are now accused of voting illegally.

In Ohio, casting an illegal vote is classified as a fourth-degree felony.

"Irregularities like this are rare, and this is a small number of cases," Yost reassured. "We should all be confident in the upcoming election, knowing that the laws are being enforced and will continue to be enforced."

Yost also pointed out that intent is irrelevant when it comes to illegal voting. He compared the situation to a speeding ticket, saying, "You are stopped for going 52 miles an hour. You thought it was a 50 mile an hour zone. Cop tells you it’s 35. Doesn’t make any difference that you didn’t intend to speed, that you didn’t know that you were speeding, or even that you were reckless or negligent about it — you’re just liable, and ignorance of the law is no excuse."

Yost's office is currently looking into 138 cases of possible illegal voting referred by the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, as reported by the Dayton Daily News. However, Yost made it clear that he does not plan to seek prison time for those convicted.

“This is about accountability for breaking the law, but I don’t foresee prison time," he explained. "None of these cases have the aggravating factors that would justify a prison sentence, and in fact, most have mitigating factors that would reduce the likelihood of such a sentence.”

In a related development, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has instructed county Boards of Elections to stay alert regarding voter registrations. According to WKBN-TV, LaRose’s Election Integrity Unit investigated a voter registration form translated into Haitian Creole that was ultimately rejected by the Clark County Board of Elections and reported to the state.