After a Chinese national was charged for voting illegally in Michigan, state Rep. Mike Harris on Thursday called for action in Congress and the Michigan Legislature to strengthen election security to prevent illegal voting.

The Chinese national, who is a student at the University of Michigan, allegedly registered to vote in Ann Arbor and then illegally cast a ballot for the November election. Under federal law, he was not required to provide proof of citizenship to register. Harris, R-Waterford, said the Democrat-majority U.S. Senate should pass the SAVE Act, a bill that would eliminate this loophole.

“If you’re not a citizen, you shouldn’t be voting in our elections, but federal law let this Chinese national vote without proving citizenship,” Harris said. “Our secretary of state in Michigan is trying to brag that this illegal voter was caught after the fact, but he should have been stopped before he ever got a ballot. It’s time to fix federal law. Congress must pass the SAVE Act and protect our elections from foreign interference.”

The SAVE Act, H.R.8281, passed the U.S. House of Representatives in July with bipartisan support.

In addition to calling for national requirements for citizenship verification, Harris also said the Michigan Legislature should approve reforms to strengthen the security of elections in the state.

“Michigan must also take action to safeguard our elections from fraud and error,” Harris said. “We should verify voters’ identification, eliminate print-on-demand ballots, clean our voter rolls, ensure election officials receive proper training, and more. That is how we will protect Michigan elections and defend Michigan citizens’ right to vote.”

Harris pointed to several Republican plans to protect Michigan election processes. For example, House Bill 4227 would require the secretary of state to maintain a voter’s photograph in the qualified voter file (QVF) so that election workers can still confirm the identity of anyone who attempts to vote without photo ID. House Bill 4871 would prohibit on-demand ballot printing at polling places or early voting sites. House Bill 4875 would help keep the voter rolls clean by notifying voters who have not cast a ballot recently and then removing those who have not voted in the past eight years. House Bill 4874 will provide transparency and accountability for clerks by publicly posting a database of those who have not completed required training.

Harris said Democrats in the Michigan Legislature have severely weakened election security in Michigan over the last two years. They passed laws to allow on-demand printing of ballots at voting sites, weaken voter ID standards, let people register to vote with questionable documentation, make it easier for voters to register and vote illegally at multiple locations in one day, and let people register and then vote after polls close on Election Day. The Democrats also eliminated the requirement that a voter who registers within 14 days of an election without providing a photo ID or proof of residency must vote a challenged ballot; challenged ballots are marked and can be identified and removed after they are cast.