Haoxiang Gao, the University of Michigan student and Chinese national who voted illegally last year in Ann Arbor, told authorities he identified as an American citizen moments before casting a ballot.
Gao, who goes by Neil, was not a new arrival from China who stumbled into a voting booth. He attended elementary school in Seattle after being born in China. His family then returned to China, and then moved to Florida before his junior year of high school.
Gao is a green card holder, but he is not an American citizen and is not eligible to vote.
On October 27, 2024, Gao decided he was citizen enough to vote that day, according to police reports obtained by Michigan Enjoyer via public records request.
In police interviews, Gao claims he thought his status as a green card holder qualified him to vote.
“When getting off the plane, I always go to the lane with American Passport Holders at Customs,” Gao told an officer at the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety and Security.
He also referenced a conversation with his landlord that implied a green card was akin to citizenship.
“Also, how I completed FAFSA information with my family, and I know that we pay taxes,” Gao added. “Somehow in my self-consciousness at that time, I know I am a citizen, and I can vote.”
But if Gao talked himself into casting the vote, before long, he couldn’t talk himself out of regretting it.
“When I got to my dorm, something does not feel right,” Gao told the officer. “Vague memory of AP US GOV class I took in high school made me start doubting myself. I start googling and found out I just committed the greatest mistake of my life. My acting is considered fraud voting and is a felony which leads to deportation, jail time, and loss of green card.”
After feeling regret about the illegal vote, Gao contacted the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s office and the University of Michigan. The investigation began, and days later, Gao was charged with falsifying his registration documents and casting an illegal vote, both felonies.
After he reported his illegal vote, Gao told officers he planned to apply for his citizenship in 2027 and was worried that his legal case could affect that.
But as Sgt. Ryan Cavanaugh of the U-M police department reported in his findings, voters in Michigan are told about voting requirements multiple times between the registration process and when the vote is cast.
Cavanaugh wrote in his report: “The first box in this form is labeled ‘Qualifications’ and has two questions. The first question is ‘I am a U.S. Citizen’ and the second question is ‘I am at least 17 1/2 years old and will vote only after I turn 18.’ Both of these have a ‘yes’ and/or ‘no’ box that has to be checked by the applicant. The qualification box states, ‘If you are not a U.S. citizen DON’T complete this form.’ The last sentence is also bold to gather the attention of the applicant.”
Regarding the suspected fraudulent voter registration application, the suspect checked both “yes” boxes for the two qualification questions.
When an early vote is cast, the voter has to certify with a signature that they are a U.S. citizen. Gao signed the form.
While it’s true that a voter is asked multiple times about citizenship, there is no verification of citizenship during early voting. It’s essentially an honor system.
In a police interview, Gao’s roommate Nan Xiang says he finds it strange that no one ever asked Neil about his citizenship status. This is reinforced throughout Gao’s account as well that, although he was “confused” about voting, he voted “without any prompts or self doubts.” He says “it is election season and you get asked to vote by volunteers everywhere you go on the street.”
In Cavanaugh’s police report and interviews with election officials, the process for early voting is clarified to highlight that once a ballot is cast, it cannot be retrieved. Once Gao identified as an American citizen, there was no taking it back.
Neil’s case illustrates the need for ID verification, proof of citizenship, and a way to retrieve illegitimately cast ballots. While it’s true that he was asked multiple times if he was a citizen, and certainly possible that he knew better, there is no system in place to verify eligible voters in the State of Michigan. While it is important to protect the secrecy of our vote, there must be a mechanism in place to challenge ballots and retrieve any illegitimate vote cast.
While we let due process sort out Neil’s true motives and applicable sentence, we are attaching the documents so you, the reader, can draw your own conclusions.
Stay tuned for our next installment when we discuss the media response.
Anna Hoffman is an independent journalist. Join her in conversation on X @shoesonplease. James David Dickson is host of the Enjoyer Podcast. Join him in conversation on X @downi75.
