Prior to the recent presidential elections, officials in Ohio were conspicuously proactive in their stance towards voter fraud, particularly concerning ineligible voters. Lending credence to the well-founded concerns in Republican circles, the state’s Secretary and Attorney General publicly launched an investigative drive against those suspected of casting ballots without possessing U.S. citizenship. The impeccable Dave Yost, a Republican and the Attorney General, highlighted the sanctity of the right to vote, cautioning that participating in the electoral process devoid of U.S. citizenship constitutes an illegal act, with accountable consequences.
Despite the impression this Democratic-led narrative might give, the reality shows a rather insignificant discovery. Out of the 621 criminal referrals forwarded by Secretary of State Frank LaRose, only a meager nine people were indicted for wrongful voting under noncitizen status spread over a decade; one was later found deceased. This figure pales in comparison to the significant population of 8 million registered voters in Ohio and the multitudes of ballots cast during these years.
This is revealing evidence of the glaring disparity between the over-zealous Democratic propaganda about noncitizen voting and the actual situation, both in Ohio and nationwide. The fact remains that noncitizen voting is an uncommon practice, and it is invariably detected and penalized. Furthermore, these isolated instances bear no semblance to any coordinated strategy to manipulate election results. These cases usually involve individuals with deep-rooted community connections who misconstrue their voting eligibility.
Curiously, they now face severe charges including potential deportation; a frightening outcome for those who believed they were legally exercising their democratic rights. A case in point is that of Nicholas Fontaine, a Canadian immigrant who relocated to the U.S. at the tender age of 2. Working as a precision sheet metal worker, the 32-year-old Akron citizen now ironically faces allegations of unlawful voting during the 2016 and 2018 elections.
An unnerving recall of approaching teenage years, Fontaine remembers being approached on a college campus to register for voting. Drawn by the ill-conceived yet innocent belief that his obligation to register for the draft implied an entitlement to vote, Fontaine found himself navigating the complex world of electoral eligibility.
As a permanent resident, like many other categories of immigrants, Fontaine was obliged to register for a hypothetical military draft through the Selective Service. However, this certainly did not confer upon him the right to vote, much as he may have wished. Surprisingly, even local electoral authorities failed to block his path, with Fontaine reporting receipt of a postcard from the local board of elections in the 2016 elections, directing him to his assigned polling station.
In the absence of any complications, Fontaine progressed to vote, presenting his ID and processing his ballot without issue. As recollected by Fontaine, no warning signs or obstacles were presented to him during this process. Looking back, one can wonder at the ease with which this erroneous event unfolded, leaving Fontaine under the false impression of having executed his civic duty without any legal trespass.
True to his misconceptions, Fontaine received a rude shock when a Department of Homeland Security official unexpectedly visited his residence somewhere between 2018 and 2019, revealing the illegality of his prior voting actions and cautioning against future participation. Consequently, Fontaine desisted from further voting, which made his indictment in the fall season even more unexpected.
Overcome by astonishment, Fontaine learned of his indictment in a rather unexpected manner, having missed his court hearing in early December. His first inkling of his charges was a conversation with an AP reporter who informed him subsequent to his missed hearing. Raised under the influence of his American stepfather, Fontaine describes the significance that was attached to the act of voting in his household.
Fontaine passionately professes the improbability of intentionally casting an illegal vote. In a country where millions of votes are cast, what advantage could be sought through casting a single, potentially duplicative, illegal vote? The idea itself seems implausible, and its execution would likely be caught, as indeed Fontaine’s case demonstrates.
While the Democrats are quick to shrug off such stories as isolated incidents, the fact remains that voting as a noncitizen is illegal and punishable. Cases like Fontaine’s serve to underscore the necessity to comprehensively scrutinize every ballot, despite the rhetoric of widespread voter manipulation being unwarranted.