On 29 October 2026 the U.S. Department of Justice announced that 18 more noncitizens have been charged in North Carolina with illegally voting in the 2024 general election (Press Release No. 26-1279). With 12 people charged in the Eastern District earlier this year, DOJ says 30 have now been charged in the state in 2026.

The charges, by district

  • Eastern District (Raleigh): 9 indicted. DOJ says one is in the country illegally and the rest are lawful permanent residents. The release says all nine falsely claimed U.S. citizenship to register and vote. That makes 21 charged in this district this year.
  • Middle District (Greensboro): 5 charged, four by indictment and one by information, all described as lawful permanent residents.
  • Western District (Charlotte): 4 charged, three by grand-jury indictment and one by information. DOJ says each falsely claimed citizenship on an Authorization to Vote form or an early-voting application, or knowingly voted while not a citizen.

The release lists countries of origin including Guatemala, Italy/UK, Kenya, Bermuda, Singapore/UK, Jamaica, Colombia, the Netherlands, Mexico, Cuba, Barbados, Argentina, Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, France and St Kitts and Nevis. It alleges that one Wake County resident registered in 2000 and voted in 12 general elections, and that a Harnett County resident registered in 2008 and voted in nine general and nine primary elections. These are allegations. We are not naming the people charged, who are private individuals.

“An indictment or information merely contain accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” — U.S. Department of Justice, 29 October 2026

Penalties

  • Falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to vote: up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
  • Voting by an alien (18 U.S.C. § 611): up to 1 year and a $100,000 fine.

FBI and Homeland Security Investigations investigated. The three U.S. Attorney’s Offices are prosecuting.

Citizen impact: Under federal law, a green card does not allow you to vote in federal elections, and ticking “citizen” on a registration or authorization form is a separate felony. DOJ gives no estimate of how many noncitizens voted in North Carolina overall, and it does not allege that any of these votes changed a result.

Context

This follows DOJ’s 19 October announcement of 28 people charged in California, its suit over California’s mail ballots, and its letters asking Washington and California counties to hold ballots from people on federal lists. Those efforts have run into court rulings and state refusals that question the lists’ accuracy (see related coverage). The North Carolina cases are different: they are individual criminal charges that will be tested in court.

What this piece does not say

We do not say how the defendants were identified. The release doesn’t say, and we have not pulled the charging documents. We do not repeat the prosecutors’ claims that each illegal vote “cancels out every lawful vote”. That is advocacy, not a finding.

Bottom line

Eighteen new federal cases (9 Eastern, 5 Middle, 4 Western) and 30 in North Carolina this year, all on allegations of noncitizens voting in 2024. The defendants are presumed innocent, and the cases now move through federal court.