LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Republican State Sen. Ruth Johnson has asked Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for information about what processes are in place to prevent noncitizens from voting. Johnson claimed there were 34,535 individuals “whose name, date of birth, and Social Security numbers do not match any record found in the Social Security database.” Johnson said those people may be noncitizens.

The Help America Vote Verification system.

Johnson stated the information came from the Social Security Administration’s Help America Vote Verification system, which she said in a press release was used by state officials to verify new voter registrations. Johnson, who served as Secretary of State from 2011 to 2019, made her claims in light of a University of Michigan student from China who was a nonresident who voted in the 2024 November election.

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The student voted Oct. 27 and faces criminal charges. “We have no system to check if people are registering or voting who are not eligible,” Johnson said in a press release. “The only way the student at UM was caught is because he requested his ballot back from the clerk.”

Michigan News Source reached out to the Secretary of State’s office for comment and they didn’t immediately respond.

What does the Election Officials Manual say?

Johnson said the Election Officials Manual published by the Secretary of State for November 2024 states people that come to vote in person do not have to comply with federal identification requirements.

In addition, Johnson said the 34,535 was a huge increase in the number of people whose name, date of birth, and Social Security numbers do not match any record found in the Social Security database.

“That is a huge increase from previous years and very alarming to me,” Johnson said in a press release. “Far-left operatives have pushed for changes in our constitution and laws that allow for same-day registration with no ID and our clerks do not have the ability to check or verify citizenship.”