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The U.S. Department of Justice says charges have been laid against five more Canadians for voting fraud-related offences, the latest in a flurry of similar prosecutions ahead of next week’s midterm elections.
According to a tally compiled by CBC News, at least 20 Canadians have now been either charged or sentenced in the U.S. this year in federal election integrity investigations. Most charges have been filed since last month, with allegations typically dating back several years.
The five latest cases were announced in a series of news releases Thursday and Friday from U.S. attorney’s offices in Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina and Wisconsin. They all involve Canadians living in the U.S. — most of them listed as lawful permanent residents — accused of falsely claiming citizenship to cast a ballot, or illegally voting in a past election.
The defendants in the latest cases are between 58 and 68 years old, according to the Department of Justice.
“The right to vote is fundamental to American citizenship and a cornerstone of our republic,” Dan Bishop, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, said in a statement.
Bishop said the recent charges “serve notice that those who violate our election laws, including non-citizens who register and vote, will be investigated and prosecuted.”
U.S. federal prosecutors and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) — a branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement — have in recent weeks repeatedly highlighted their efforts to crack down on voter fraud.
“Anyone who unlawfully votes will be found and brought to justice!” HSI said Friday in a post on X.
This photo released by U.S. authorities claims to show a 69-year-old Canadian woman charged with ‘illegal voting by an alien’ during her arrest after dark. (U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
In one instance last week, a 69-year-old Canadian, a lawful permanent resident living in Florida, was indicted on charges of making a false statement claiming U.S. citizenship to vote and “illegal voting by an alien,” prosecutors said.
The woman allegedly registered to vote in 2021 and then cast a ballot in the 2022 U.S. general election.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a photo of the woman during her arrest with her face blurred. The image appeared to show her dressed in a housecoat and slippers, surrounded by federal agents outside a home after dark.
Several of the charges were brought by federal prosecutors named by the Trump administration, such as Ellis Boyle in Raleigh, N.C.
“This is the worst type of constitutional assault on our independence and liberty,” Boyle told reporters earlier this month.
U.S. attorney Ellis Boyle at a news conference in Washington, D.C., on April 28. (Cliff Owen/The Associated Press)
U.S. authorities have announced similar charges against citizens of several other countries including Australia, Colombia, Cuba, Jamaica and the United Kingdom.
The efforts align with U.S. President Donald Trump’s long-running false claims of widespread voter fraud in federal elections.
“The timing tells us why it’s likely they’re doing this,” said David Becker, executive director of the non-partisan Center for Election Innovation and Research, in a recent interview.
He insisted what little non-citizen voting occurs in the U.S. has not affected the outcomes of elections.
WATCH | Canadians warned to stay out of U.S. elections as arrests ramp up:
Canadians sternly warned to stay out of U.S. elections as arrests ramp up
The U.S. embassy in Ottawa sternly warned Canadians against ‘attempting to participate or influence U.S. elections in any way’ ahead of the midterms. U.S. agents have ramped up arrests against non-citizen voters, including Canadians.
“This is likely an attempt to try to sow doubts about the election, in advance of an election in which the president and his administration might fear the voters might reject them,” Becker said.
Last week, the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa said in a statement Canadians account for the “second highest total of prosecutions for fraudulent or illegal voting of any country.”
The embassy pointedly warned “all Canadians should refrain from attempting to participate in or influence U.S. elections in any way. Americans decide America’s elections.”
Bill Essayli, the most senior federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, said last week that 156 individuals had been charged with “voting fraud-related offences” across the country since the start of the current Trump administration.
It’s a relatively small figure, given the number of people who cast a ballot in the U.S.
According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, more than 211 million citizens were active registered voters for the country’s 2024 general election.