Fox News
· collected 2026-10-11 · by Charles Creitz, Amanda Macias
analysis
The Justice Department has charged 64 foreign nationals with unlawful voting and related offenses across 17 states over the past five weeks. Minnesota leads with 11 defendants, followed by Pennsylvania with 10 and Texas with nine. The DOJ emphasizes that these prosecutions aim to uphold election integrity, particularly in close elections where even a few illegal votes can affect outcomes. For example, in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District race in 2020, Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks won by just six votes.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Justice Department has charged 64 foreign nationals in 17 states with unlawful voting and election-related offenses over the past five weeks, according to figures provided to Fox News Digital. Minnesota leads with 11 defendants, followed by Pennsylvania with 10, Texas with 9, Louisiana with 5, and New Jersey, California, and Florida each with 4. This crackdown comes as federal officials intensify scrutiny of voter-registration safeguards ahead of the November midterms, emphasizing how even a few illegal ballots can exceed the margin separating candidates in close races. The DOJ spokesperson noted that "every illegal vote cancels out the vote of a lawful American citizen," highlighting the importance of election integrity after recent tight contests like Iowa's 2nd Congressional District race in 2020, which was decided by just 6 votes.
Written for “Voting Crackdown Sweeps States” on 2026-10-11,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.65, but all 4 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 71864: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-11
The Justice Department has charged 64 foreign nationals across 17 states with unlawful voting, fraudulent voter registration and election-related offenses in roughly the last five weeks, according to figures provided to Fox News Digital, as federal prosecutors intensify election-integrity enforcement.
uncertain
prosecutors → charge → enforcement
Minnesota leads the nation with 11 defendants, followed by Pennsylvania with 10 and Texas with nine.
asserted
Minnesota → lead → nine
Louisiana accounts for five, while New Jersey, California and Florida each have four, according to the department's latest tally.
uncertain
Jersey → account → tally
The nationwide crackdown comes as federal officials intensify scrutiny of voter-registration safeguards ahead of November's midterms, with recent elections underscoring how even a few illegal ballots can exceed the margin separating candidates.
asserted
ballots → come → candidates
Fox News Digital mapped the states with the largest concentrations of defendants as DOJ says it has charged 104 people with voting fraud-related offenses since Trump returned to office in 2025.
asserted
Trump → map → 2025
"Every illegal vote cancels out the vote of a lawful American citizen.
asserted
vote → cancel → citizen
In 2020, Iowa's 2nd Congressional District race was decided by six votes," a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital, referring to Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks' narrow victory over Democrat Rita Hart.
asserted
spokesperson → decide → Hart
DOJ said federal prosecutors are bringing more than twice as many election-fraud cases each week as the six-vote margin in the Iowa race.
asserted
prosecutors → say → race
The spokesperson added: "Voting by noncitizens and other ineligible voters is a federal crime, and the department will enforce the law whether a case involves one illegal ballot or hundreds."
The cases involve allegations ranging from fraudulent registration applications to ballots cast in multiple elections.
asserted
cases → add → elections
The department is also securing guilty pleas in some cases, including against Filipino national Evelyn Miller of Emmaus, Pennsylvania.
asserted
department → secure → Emmaus
Miller pleaded guilty to illegally voting in the 2024 presidential election and faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
asserted
Miller → plead → prison
"We intend to prosecute anyone who corrupts our democracy by illegally voting in its elections," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania David Metcalf said.
asserted
Metcalf → intend → Pennsylvania
Also in Pennsylvania, federal prosecutors charged Haitian national Cliff Sanon with submitting a fraudulent voter registration application in Philadelphia County.
asserted
prosecutors → charge → County
Prosecutors allege he submitted eight registration applications and voted in the November 2022 election.
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he → allege → election
In Minnesota, Ghanaian green card holder Joshua Kofi Edzie was charged with illegally voting in the state's August 2026 primary and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in connection with voter registration.
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Edzie → charge → registration
The prosecutions have also reached Republican-led states, including Texas, Louisiana and Florida, which account for 18 defendants combined in the DOJ figures provided to Fox News Digital.
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which → reach → Digital
In Louisiana, the feds indicted an ex-mayoral candidate on a charge of voting by an alien.
asserted
feds → indict → alien
Bridget Johnson, who ran in 2024 to lead Cotton Valley, Louisiana, allegedly submitted a registration in the name of Jamaican national Michael Wedderburn and falsely swore he was a citizen.
uncertain
he → run → Wedderburn
Wedderburn then allegedly voted illegally in 2024 for president and mayor.
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Wedderburn → vote → president
He was also recently indicted.
asserted
He → indict → ?
In New Jersey, Republicans have pointed to several razor-thin elections amid a separate controversy involving approximately 6,600 people who indicated they were not citizens but were erroneously registered through the state's Motor Vehicle Commission.
asserted
they → point → Commission
Fewer than 400 subsequently voted, according to Gov. Mikie Sherrill's administration.
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400 → vote → administration
Former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac recently highlighted municipal elections in Caldwell, Atlantic Highlands and Bogota decided by margins of four to six votes in 2023.
asserted
Kranjac → highlight → 2023
The state has not established that any of the affected voters changed an election outcome.
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any → establish → outcome
Sherrill spokesman Sean Higgins previously said the governor "moved with transparency and accountability to remediate this error from 2023."
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governor → say → 2023
The prosecutions come as federal officials continue scrutinizing voter-registration safeguards ahead of November's midterm elections.
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officials → come → elections
Authorities have not established that any of the cases identified in DOJ's nationwide tally changed the outcome of an election.
asserted
any → establish → election
The Aporia
