Unwanted ballots worry Korean green card holders amid US voting crackdown
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Mail-in ballots are processed leading up to the midterm elections at a USPS sorting facility in Golden, Colorado, on Oct. 28. Reuters-Yonhap
SEATTLE — With the Trump administration stepping up its crackdown on noncitizen voting ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections, some Korean green card holders are worried that receiving election ballots they never requested could land them in immigration trouble.
Across online forums and social media discussions, including Korean-American communities, green card holders have shared accounts of receiving ballots or voter-registration materials despite not being U.S. citizens.
“I’m a green card holder, but ballots come to my house every time,” one user wrote.
Another said she and her husband, both green card holders, had received jury summonses, and that her husband had also received election-related mail.
The accounts have prompted discussions about how noncitizens end up receiving election materials and whether mistakes involving voter registration could jeopardize their green cards or future citizenship applications.
Some users expressed concern that they may have been registered without realizing it, while others questioned how permanent residents could be unaware that only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote.
The concerns come as federal authorities pursue criminal cases against green card holders accused of voting illegally.
On Oct. 19, the Justice Department announced charges against 28 permanent residents in California for offenses including fraudulent voter registration, unlawful voting and false statements during naturalization proceedings.
Among them was Jennifer Jung, a 31-year-old Korean woman with Canadian citizenship living in San Diego, according to Korean-language broadcaster Radio Korea.
Federal prosecutors allege that Jung falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen when registering to vote, cast a ballot in the November 2024 election and later made false statements about her voting history during a naturalization interview.
The cases have also raised questions about California’s voter registration system, which automatically registers eligible applicants during Department of Motor Vehicles transactions unless they opt out.
State officials say applicants who indicate they are ineligible are not registered through the system. However, California has previously acknowledged cases of people being registered erroneously.
Receiving election-related mail does not necessarily mean someone is registered to vote, and simply receiving a ballot is not a voting offense. But knowingly making a false claim of U.S. citizenship or voting illegally can have serious immigration consequences.
The consequences depend on the circumstances, including how the person became registered, whether a ballot was cast and whether any false claim of citizenship was made.
California allows people who were registered by mistake to cancel their registration through their county elections office, although cancellation does not necessarily eliminate potential immigration consequences from past violations.
