State Rep. Greg Alexander today said continued efforts to protect Michigan’s elections process are needed after more instances of non-citizen, ineligible voters casting ballots have been disclosed.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Thursday announced charges against five non-citizens for election crimes in 2024. Last April, a review from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson found that 15 individuals who weren’t U.S. citizens voted under her watch in the 2024 presidential election.

“One non-eligible vote is too many. There are local races and issues that are decided by only a few dozen votes,” said Alexander, of Carsonville. “People throughout the state should be able to have faith in our elections process and that their vote is being counted freely and fairly among other eligible voters. We have seen several instances where that trust has been violated.

“Repeatedly, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has claimed that this isn’t an issue and that our elections are safe and secure. But non-citizen voters are having their votes counted in our elections and more are trying. We need reforms to ensure that they aren’t counted.”

Alexander previously joined other Michigan legislators in sending a letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune urging him to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require citizenship when registering to vote and photo identification when voting.

“When the votes go in, they count. You can charge offenders until the cows come home, but there’s no taking the votes back out one they are tabulated,” Alexander said. “The SAVE Act allows us to be proactive in ensuring only eligible votes from eligible voters will count. It’s a needed path forward for Michigan given these attempts we are seeing.”