After federal prosecutors charged a Chinese man for registering to vote and casting a ballot under his former landlord’s name, experts are questioning Massachusetts’ verification processes.
Yupeng Sun, a Chinese national living in Andover, allegedly submitted an online voter registration in the name of his former landlord, who was not a U.S. citizen, on Oct. 10, 2024.
Massachusetts regulations – which took effect in June 2023 – require applicants using the state’s online voter registration system to have reliable citizenship information documented in their motor vehicle records before they submit an application online.
If that citizenship documentation is missing, the regulation says the applicant “shall be unable to submit an online application.”
“How did Sun manage to successfully, allegedly, impersonate a green card holder?” Logan Churchwell, research director at the Public Interest Legal Foundation, told The Epoch Times.
“Based on the regulation, a system functioning according to the letter should’ve halted the impersonation at the outset,” he said.
“Massachusetts seems to have everything it needs in place to verify citizenship, but there could be malfunctioning parts needing fixes,” he said.
The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office has not explained how the application was able to proceed under that requirement.
Prosecutors allege that Sun used his former landlord J.L.’s real name, date of birth, former Malden address, and Massachusetts driver’s license number to register online.
J.L., a Chinese citizen and lawful permanent resident, was not eligible to vote.
The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office did not respond by publication time to questions about what citizenship information was contained in J.L.’s registry record, how an online application submitted in his identity was able to proceed under the regulation, or whether the state has reviewed the process since learning of the case.
Three weeks after registering, prosecutors allege, Sun went to Malden City Hall, identified himself as J.L., received an early ballot for the presidential election, and signed J.L.’s name on the ballot envelope.
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