‘I Voted’ sticker helps convict noncitizen who cast ballot in 2024 as election security debate heats up
A Colombian woman living in Massachusetts was convicted on a series of federal identity theft and identity fraud charges, including voting illegally in the 2024 presidential election, the Justice Department said.
Federal officials have pointed to the case as a rare, documented example of noncitizen voting prosecuted at the highest level, highlighting it amid renewed debate over voter identification, citizenship verification and election security ahead of the 2026 midterms.
The Colombian national, Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, was convicted on federal charges of identity theft, passport fraud and illegal voting, including in the 2024 presidential election. She was captured on surveillance video displaying an "I Voted" sticker on Election Day, underscoring what Justice Department officials characterized as a flagrant disregard for U.S. laws.
"Her actions were not a one-time mistake or accident," the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice said in a statement.
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Officials have highlighted Orovio-Hernandez's case as an example of successful interagency cooperation and enforcement, as election security concerns have intensified in the run-up to the 2026 midterms.
The verdict "sends a clear message: identity theft and fraud against federal benefit programs will not go undetected or unpunished," said Amy Connelly, special agent in charge of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General in Boston.
The Trump administration, for its part, has touted her conviction as an example of the pitfalls of weak voter identification standards or vetting procedures.
Officials in several U.S. states have already moved to tighten their individual verification standards and procedures in hopes of cracking down on any fraudulent voting efforts and shoring up voter confidence.
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The conviction comes amid renewed scrutiny of election administration nationwide, including a recent FBI raid at an election hub in Fulton County, Georgia, that authorized a broad seizure of election records, voting rolls and other data tied to the 2020 election, according to a copy of the warrant.
Some Senate Democrats have cited concerns over the news that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present at the raid, though she stressed in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital that the ODNI’s Office of General Counsel "has found my actions to be consistent and well within my statutory authority as the Director of National Intelligence."
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The Republican Party has sought to embrace a new, litigation-focused "election integrity" strategy in the months ahead of the 2024 general election, as party officials told Fox News Digital at the time.
The effort saw dozens of lawsuits that sought to crack down on voter identification laws, tighten citizenship verification standards and add new requirements for mail-in ballots and provisional ballots accepted by certain states.
It is unclear to what degree the party might seek to replicate this effort ahead of the midterm elections.