Election Integrity Maryland Sounds the Alarm on Non-Citizen Voting

Submits specific details on non-citizens that cast votes in Frederick County, Maryland to the State Board of Elections for follow-up, prosecution

 

ROCKVILLE, MD – October 22, 2014 – Election Integrity Maryland announces today that it is continuing to fight non-citizen voting and asks for follow-up and action by local authorities. Non-citizen voting poses a critical threat to free and fair elections within the state and nation at large.  In October 2014, Election Integrity Maryland officials submitted specific names and addresses to the Maryland Board of Elections as a follow-up action for identified non-citizen individuals who cast votes in recent elections in Frederick County and who also remain on the voter rolls, despite their non-citizenship status. Examination of a brief segment of the larger data, collected by the Frederick County Jury Commissioner, revealed continually-appalling statistics around this issue, including:

  • 10 identified non-citizens who cast votes in General and Primary elections in 2012;
  • 6 non-citizen individuals whose address on file appears to be incorrect, falsified, and/or potentially fraudulent; and
  • 6 additional non-citizens whose names remain on the current voter rolls despite their ineligibility. The lack of attention to remove them could result in these non-citizens being summoned to serve on juries and/or permitted to cast votes in future elections, including the upcoming 2014 Mid-Term Election, if urgent attention is not paid and action taken.

Recent data submitted by another leading election integrity organization, Virginia Voters Alliance, also detailed 278 non-citizens who actively cast votes in recent elections in Virginia. This recent case, following the previous announcement of the confirmed 164 double voters out of 43,893 potential duplicate voters that have also participated in election processes, have continued to go unnoticed and largely ignored by Attorney General Eric Holder and the Fairfax County Prosecutor’s office.

This latest news, particularly the startling numbers just out of Frederick County, presents clear evidence of voter fraud and proven cases of non-citizen voting activity, which holds significant potential to threaten outcomes and the integrity of our overall electoral process. Further, the refusal of action taken by appropriate authorities sharpens larger concern, namely that voting eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens only is the current law in all 50 states.

The latest developments in the disturbing issue of non-citizen voting activity also put the lack of investigation and prosecution at the federal level into sharp perspective. Non-citizen voting activities are in direct violation of the “Federal Prosecution of Election Offenses” handbook written by the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section. In fact, “falsely claiming to be a citizen on a voter registration form,” the exact offense noted above, actually violates three federal statues, 42 U.S.C. §1973gg-10(2), 18 U.S.C. §1015(f), and 18 U.S.C. §911. Violations of each of these are felony infractions, punishable by imprisonment of up to three or five years, depending on the specific statute. In addition, “actual voting” by a non-citizen, known to be the case for at least 10 individuals recently reported in Frederick County and 117 individuals in the above Virginia example, violates 18 U.S.C. §611 and is a strict liability offense. Otherwise stated, it “does not require proof that the offender was aware that citizenship is a prerequisite to voting.” Violations are misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in prison.

Most alarming of all in this recent example is the complete lack of interest by the Justice Department in investigating and prosecuting these nearly 300 cases of potential felony violations of federal law, which should be the primary focus and mission of the Department’s activities.

“We proudly join Virginia Voters Alliance and other integrity groups in the demand for passage of proof of citizenship laws and an update in the reported cases of voter fraud, including the most recent incidences in Frederick County, Maryland and Virginia, which are in clear violation of federal law and our country’s electoral process,” said Cathy Kelleher, President of Election Integrity Maryland. “It is essential that authorities at the state and federal levels take notice of these flagrant acts that threaten our freedoms and the integrity of our voting procedures!”


About Election Integrity Maryland (EIM)

Election Integrity Maryland (EIM) is a non-partisan, non-profit citizen initiative dedicated to upholding free and fair elections. A 501 (c)(4) organization, EIM exists to promote integrity throughout the voting process in Maryland, thereby enhancing the public’s confidence in its voting franchise in local, state and federal elections.EIM seeks to support the efforts of Maryland’s various Boards of Elections in their effort to maintain voter integrity, as well as the interests of Maryland voters. For more information about EIM, please visit: www.ElectionIntegrityMaryland.com