Michigan officials have charged a Chinese national with illegally voting in the 2024 election, but election officials reportedly have no way to remove his vote now that it has been counted.

An unidentified University of Michigan student who is believed to be a Chinese citizen rather than a U.S. citizen has reportedly registered to vote in the 2024 general election. According to A statement released Wednesday by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office and the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office. The announcement comes just six days after Election Day, with polls showing Michigan in the lead. (Related: Biden-appointed judge blocks Virginia’s effort to remove noncitizens from voter rolls)

“We appreciate the quick action of the clerk in this case in taking the appropriate steps and turning the case over to law enforcement,” Benson and the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office said in a joint statement. “We also want to thank law enforcement for their swift and thorough investigation of this incident.”

“Anyone who attempts to vote illegally faces serious consequences, including but not limited to arrest and prosecution,” the statement continued.

Benson’s office said the person registered to vote on Sunday, signed paperwork identifying him as a U.S. citizen and entered his ballot into a counting machine. However, the University of Michigan student then contacted his local clerk’s office and asked if he could have his ballot returned to him.

Despite voting illegally, the Chinese man’s ballot is expected to continue to be counted in the general election, as there is no way for election officials to obtain it now that it has been placed in the counting machine. According to Sources familiar with the state’s election laws spoke to The Detroit News. This is reportedly because the ballots are designed so that individual voters cannot be tracked.

A spokesperson for the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation on whether votes could be deleted before the end of the general election.

Benson’s office said the Chinese national was charged with perjury for making false statements on an affidavit for the purpose of securing voter registration and for attempting to vote as an unauthorized elector. The second offense is a felony, punishable by up to four years in prison and a $2,000 fine.

News of the alleged incident comes as Michigan remains largely deadlocked in the polls between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Real Clear Politics (RCP) voting average shows two The candidates were statistically tied, with Harris leading by 0.5 percentage points.

At the same time, Republican states are battling the Biden-Harris Justice Department in court over its power to remove noncitizens from voter rolls. The Justice Department recently forced Alabama to cancel its voter rolls, but the Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Virginia to remove noncitizens from its rolls.

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