Michigan Department of State review confirms instances of noncitizen voting are extremely rare

15 credible cases identified – 0.00028% of more than 5.7 million total ballots cast in 2024 General Election; 13 referred to Attorney General for potential prosecution

LANSING, Mich. – Today, the Michigan Department of State (MDOS) released the results of a review of Michigan motor vehicle records compared to voting records in the state’s Qualified Voter File (QVF), confirming that credible cases of noncitizens casting a ballot in Michigan elections are extremely rare.
  
The review, which began in December 2024, identified 15 people who appear to be non-U.S. citizens and cast a ballot in the 2024 General Election. Of these 15, 13 were referred to the Michigan Attorney General for potential criminal charges, one apparent noncitizen voter has since died, and one case is still being investigated by the MDOS Office of Investigative Services. These cases, along with the single case identified in October 2024 of a Chinese national who allegedly voted illegally, represent 0.00028% of the more than 5.7 million votes cast by Michiganders in the presidential election.  
 
“This is a serious issue, one we must address with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer,” Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said. “Only U.S. citizens can legally register and vote in our elections. 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. 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.” 
 
This initial review compared more than 7.9 million active driving records for Michiganders of voting age to over 7.2 million active registered voters in the QVF. MDOS has established an ongoing review process to identify possible cases of noncitizens improperly registered to vote so those records can be cancelled in accordance with the National Voter Registration Act.  
 
In February, Secretary Benson announced she is working with partners in the Michigan Legislature to introduce the Michigan Election Security Act, a plan which would codify this review procedure for all future administrations and provide additional tools to help election officials more effectively identify and remove ineligible voter registrations from the voter file.  
 
For more information on election security, or how voter rolls are maintained in Michigan, visit Michigan.gov/ElectionSecurity. 

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