USCIS: South African Resident Charged With Unlawful Voting in 2024 Federal Election in Missouri

Springfield, Missouri — Hanlie Venter, 67, a South African-born lawful permanent resident, was charged with unlawfully voting in the November 2024 federal election, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Thursday.

Venter moved to the United States in 2020 and was granted lawful permanent resident status in 2021. In September 2024 she registered to vote and subsequently voted at a polling place in McDonald County, Missouri. Lawful permanent residents are not allowed to vote in federal elections, nor in Missouri state or local elections.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from USCIS, and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri. Under federal law, she faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

USCIS clarified that the charge contained in the criminal complaint is simply an accusation and not evidence of guilt: the evidence must be presented to a federal trial jury, which will determine whether the defendant is guilty or not.

Photo: USCIS

Source: USCIS