16 noncitizens apparently voted in Michigan in 2024 — and liberals are cheering about it

Michigan Democrats and liberal media are celebrating a report that revealed more than a dozen noncitizens may have cast a ballot in the November election.

On Thursday, Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson — whose campaign for governor has already gotten off to a sloppy start — released a press release about the report entitled "Michigan Department of State review confirms instances of noncitizen voting are extremely rare."

The report, which is based on an audit launched in December, actually begins with a misleading statement, claiming "15 credible cases" of noncitizens voting had been "identified." However, the press release later admits that 16 cases had actually been identified, noting that "a Chinese national" also allegedly voted illegally, a case that made national headlines last fall.

Of these 16 cases, all but two have been referred for possible prosecution. One of the noncitizens who allegedly voted in November has since died, and another case remains under further investigation.

The press release suggests that 16 alleged instances of noncitizens voting proves the system works as they "represent 0.00028% of the more than 5.7 million votes cast by Michiganders in the presidential election."

The Chinese national who allegedly admitted to voting in November ... did so by allegedly offering his University of Michigan student ID card.

Benson — who just last September testified before Congress that "there is no evidence that noncitizens are voting" — seemed pleased about the report. She claimed that these cases represent a "tiny fraction" of voters and hinted that further efforts to secure our elections are unnecessary and would only disenfranchise legitimate voters.

"This is a serious issue, one we must address with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer," Benson said in a statement.

Her fellow Democrats similarly hailed the news. The Michigan Democratic Party claimed the audit "confirm[s] the security of the 2024 election."

"Democrats are proud to be the only party of election integrity and of defending our democracy. This months-long review is telling us what we already know: Michigan’s elections can be safe and secure without sacrificing access to the ballot box," said a statement from group chair Curtis Hertel.

Even media outlets like Mid-Michigan Now dutifully parroted the idea that "cases of noncitizens casting a ballot are extremely rare."

By contrast, Republican state Rep. Bryan Posthumus of Rockford is appalled that Democrats are so cavalier about noncitizens voting in Michigan elections.

"First it was 1, now it's 15. The truth is, we have no idea how many," he posted to social media.

What's more, while Benson's press release and the media have focused mainly on the 2024 presidential election in Michigan — which President Donald Trump won by a margin of about 80,000 — they have basically ignored the more competitive races down ballot where noncitizen votes could have greater impact.

For instance, the U.S. Senate race in Michigan was razor thin. Democratic candidate Elissa Slotkin prevailed over Republican Mike Rogers by just .3% of the vote, or fewer than 20,000 votes.

Posthumus told Blaze News that in 2022, a state House race was decided by just 12 votes. "This would have swung that election," he said, referring to the 16 alleged noncitizen voters.

According to Ballotpedia, such tight races are not that uncommon. In 2024 alone, more than 60 state-level races across the country were decided by 100 votes or fewer, including a Maine race in which a Republican state representative prevailed by just a single vote.

Posthumus also pointed to the hotly contested 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and then-Vice President Al Gore. After weeks of recounts and legal wrangling, Bush carried the state of Florida — and therefore the election — by under 550 votes.

"Democrats are trying to just make this as a one-off situation that doesn't have any real implications," Posthumus explained to Blaze News. "It really does."

Posthumus is currently crafting a state constitutional amendment proposal that would require prospective voters to provide proof of citizenship when they register as well as when they vote, and he hopes that Democrats will join him in this endeavor. Polling indicates that voters on both sides of the aisle support securing our elections.

"Nearly 85% of the population agrees," Posthumus said, "only U.S. citizens should vote in our elections, and photo ID should be required when you cast your ballot."

Michigan law restricts voting to U.S. citizens only, but as Posthumus noted on social media, the system is vulnerable to exploitation. For instance, the Chinese national who allegedly admitted to voting in November, Haoxiang Gao, did so by allegedly offering his University of Michigan student ID card as proof of local residency.

The application for a Michigan driver's license also indicates that applicants will be automatically registered to vote. To forestall this automatic registration, applicants must deliberately check a box asking officials not to use their "information for voter registration," a 2019 application version showed.

Michigan Democrats have recently lobbied hard to permit illegal aliens living in the state to be given driver's licenses.

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