Chinese National Hit With Federal Charges for Illegally Voting in 2024 Presidential Election

That thing that never happens in a presidential election occurred yet again. And now, a Chinese national who was in the United States legally to attend school, but is a non-citizen, has been slapped with federal charges for casting a ballot in the 2024 presidential election.

A criminal complaint was filed Tuesday by the Justice Department's Eastern District of Michigan branch, charging Haoxiang Gao with crimes associated with illegally registering to vote and then casting said vote at a polling location at the University of Michigan.

Gao, as RedState reported in late October, registered to vote using a student identification and documents establishing residency in Ann Arbor, but reportedly signed a document stating he is a U.S. citizen.

He was charged by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) at the time with a felony count of making an unauthorized attempt to vote and another count of perjury.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit make a joint statement on the charges filed against a non-citizen for allegedly illegally registering to vote and casting a ballot in the 2024 General Election: https://t.co/EbcL5c6iEh pic.twitter.com/toimSaT4yj
— Michigan Department of State (@MichSoS) October 30, 2024

At the time, there was speculation that even despite knowing that Gao, who had not been identified by name at the time, had cast an illegal ballot, there was no way to recover the vote and remove it from being counted.

These new charges appear to confirm that the ballot was cast. It is no longer an "unauthorized attempt." It is a very tangible case of illegal voting.

“Illegal voting is a serious crime that cast doubt on our elections and serves to disenfranchise United States citizens by diluting their power at the ballot box," United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. said in a statement. "But illegal voting by a foreign national who is from a country controlled by a communist party dictatorship – with no modern history or tradition of democratic government – is beyond the pale."

"I hope that today’s charges send a message to foreign nationals – including those who are students at our universities – that we will not tolerate illegal voting.”

The charges should send a message in general to those trying to squash the integrity of American elections by illegally voting. The games are over. Whether or not it sends a message to Gao himself remains to be seen.

The case against him has a significant problem - Gao was granted a $5,000 personal bond with conditions by a Michigan state court, which included surrendering his passport. Unfortunately, it appears the man who was charged with perjury wound up - shocker! - allegedly forging another passport in his name but with a different serial number.

As a result, the accused citizen and national of the People’s Republic of China managed to flee the country the day before President Trump took the oath of office. He hitched a flight to Shanghai.

The United States does not have a formal extradition treaty with China, and it seems unlikely that they would promptly hand over someone whose case helps sow doubts in the legitimacy of an American election. They like that chaos.

Still, the case signals a renewed focus on election integrity under FBI Director Kash Patel.

“The FBI treats all allegations of voter fraud with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to holding accountable those who violate our election laws," Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division, Cheyvoryea Gibson, said in a statement.

Such allegations should have always been taken seriously.

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