AKRON, Ohio — Prior to the upcoming presidential election in November, investigations were launched by Ohio’s secretary of state and attorney general into suspected cases of voter fraud. These investigations included allegations of individuals casting ballots despite not being U.S. citizens. This initiative coincided with a national campaign by the Republican Party, warning that potentially thousands of ineligible individuals could be participating in elections.
Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, emphasized the sacredness of the voting right, stating, “If you’re not a U.S. citizen, it’s illegal to vote — whether you thought you were allowed to or not. You will be held accountable.”
However, the resultant findings from this investigation revealed only a small number of violations. Out of 621 cases of suspected voter fraud sent by Secretary of State Frank LaRose to the attorney general, only nine individuals were indicted over a decade for voting as noncitizens. Notably, one of these individuals was later discovered to have passed away, making the total remaining an insignificant count compared to Ohio’s 8 million registered voters and the many millions of votes cast in that timeframe.
The stories surrounding charges against these individuals indicate a significant disparity in Ohio and throughout the nation between the claims of widespread noncitizen voting and the actual occurrences. Instances of noncitizen voting are infrequent, often detected and prosecuted when they do occur, and generally not part of any orchestrated effort to manipulate election outcomes.
Recently, court hearings, both in-person and virtual, were held for three defendants in Ohio. Each case involved residents with deep community ties who acted independently, usually under the mistaken belief they were eligible voters. These individuals now face felony charges and potential deportation.
Nicholas Fontaine, a 32-year-old precision sheet metal worker from Akron, stands among those indicted. He has been charged with illegal voting, a fourth-degree felony. Fontaine moved to the U.S. from Canada at the age of two and now finds himself confronting possible jail time and deportation after supposedly voting in the 2016 and 2018 elections.
Fontaine recounted that as a young college student, he was approached about voter registration and mistakenly believed his obligation to register for the draft also qualified him for voting rights. In 2016, he received a postcard confirming his polling place and voted without any problems or questions raised regarding his eligibility.
The turning point came when a Department of Homeland Security representative visited his home in either 2018 or 2019, informing him that voting was illegal for him and warning him against voting in the future. Astonished by his recent indictment, Fontaine shared that he was unaware and missed his court hearing until he was informed by a reporter. He asserts that he never intended to vote illegally, having been raised in a household that valued civic engagement.
A local election director, Faith Lyon, explained that officials in the county where Fontaine was charged lacked the means to verify immigration status independently. Voter registration forms have a checkbox regarding U.S. citizenship, which many prospective voters do not check for various reasons, leading to unintended consequences when they are still registered.
In cases similar to Fontaine’s, two other defendants believed leaving the citizenship box unchecked would exempt them from voter registration if they were ineligible. Fiona Allen, a 40-year-old immigrant from Jamaica, faced charges after voting in 2020, 2022, and 2023. Despite her circumstances, she and her serviceman husband of 13 years chose not to comment during a recent courthouse appearance.
Another defendant, 78-year-old Lorinda Miller from Canada, expressed shock upon facing charges during a virtual court session. Her lawyer noted that Miller received paperwork confirming her as a “citizen of North America” from her affiliated Indigenous tribe. She believed this documentation qualified her to vote and had even served jury duty previously.
Lawyer Reid Yoder intends to take Miller’s case to trial after she pled not guilty. He asserts that true voter fraud requires knowledge of wrongdoing, which is not the case for his client. “She believes in the sanctity of the vote, which is why she participated. She didn’t know she was doing anything wrong,” Yoder stated.
The ongoing situation in Ohio reflects a broader national trend, where the narrative of rampant illegal voting among immigrants does not align with the statistical reality, according to experts like Jay Young from Common Cause.
Young referenced the meticulous maintenance of state voter rolls and the severe penalties—fines, imprisonment, and even deportation—for casting illegal votes as noncitizens. He argued that the myth of widespread voter fraud serves to polarize the country and foster distrust in the democratic process.
“If your guy doesn’t win or you’re a candidate that doesn’t win, you have an excuse that you can tell yourself to justify it,” Young remarked.
