The student faces charges of perjury and attempting to vote as an unauthorized elector, which is a felony, according to a joint statement by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit.
The latter charge carries a maximum penalty of up to four years in prison and a $2,000 fine.
“Anyone who attempts to vote illegally faces significant consequences, including but not limited to arrest and prosecution,” the statement said.
The student is a 19-year-old from China who is legally in the U.S. but not a citizen, according to Angela Benander, a Department of State spokesperson. He registered to vote on Sunday by using his University of Michigan student identification and documents establishing residency in Ann Arbor, according to Benander.
The student signed a document identifying himself as a U.S. citizen and later contacted the local clerk's office requesting to get the ballot back, Benander said.
"We are grateful for the swift action of the clerk in this case, who took the appropriate steps and referred the case to law enforcement,” Benson and Savit said in the statement.
U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, a Republican from Michigan, called for the university to expel the student. Moolenaar also chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
