- Two Indians face US election fraud charges over 2024 voting (Representative image: Reuters photo)
Two Indian nationals are among 28 green card holders charged with election-related offences in California, including fraudulent voter registration and voting in the November 2024 US elections, the US Department of Justice said on Monday.
Shah fraudulently registered to vote on the day of the November 2024 general election and cast his ballot the same day, according to the Justice Department. Kaur, who is seeking US citizenship, allegedly registered to vote in December 2022 and voted in the November 2024 election. “All 28 foreign nationals charged are lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or ‘green card’ holders. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said all 28 defendants appeared on a list of more than 20,000 people the Justice Department had provided to California election officials the previous week. Before Monday’s announcement, it had charged about 90 people with various forms of election misconduct this year, including 50 accused of voting as non-citizens.
they are not US citizens and are not permitted to vote in US elections,” the Justice Department said Although LPRs have legal immigration status in the United States. “Each of the 28 defendants charged today appears on the list of more than 20,000 likely noncitizen registrants we provided to California election officials last week,” McCotter told reporters in Los Angeles. California officials have opposed the demand, saying the federal government has not provided sufficient evidence to establish that those listed are non-citizens. They have also argued that withholding or refusing to count ballots could violate federal and state law and disenfranchise eligible voters. The Justice Department has intensified investigations into alleged election-related offences as early voting begins in several states.