3 non-citizens living in Georgia charged with voting in federal elections, Justice Department says
Three people living in Georgia are facing federal charges for allegedly illegally voting in federal elections.
Authorities with the U.S. Department of Justice say the three individuals from Mexico, Venezuela, and Antigua and Barbuda are among a group of 16 across the country charged in an investigation into non-citizens voting in elections.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, 65-year-old Pauline Lewis is accused of voting by absentee ballot in the 2020, 2021, and 2024 federal elections. Lewis, who lives in Dawsonville, entered the United States on a student visa in 1979 and stayed in the country without applying to be a U.S. citizen, authorities said.
Gabriel Covarrubias, who officials say is a 44-year-old citizen of Mexico, is accused of voting in person at a polling place in Lawrenceville. Authorities claim Covarrubias applied for a U.S. passport in March 2023 by claiming he had a different name and was born in Puerto Rico.
Analiea Milliscent Eccles, 43, who lives in Morrow, is accused by federal authorities of voting nine times between 2008 and 2024. Officials say Eccles entered the United States on a temporary visitor visa in 1991 and remained in the country, receiving Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status in 2013. While Eccles tried to renew the status this year, she has never applied to be a U.S. citizen, officials claim.
The three individuals are charged with voting as non-citizens in a federal election. Covarrubias is charged with making a false statement in a U.S. passport application, and Eccles is charged with making a false claim of U.S. citizenship to vote in an election.
"Voting in federal elections is a sacred right reserved to U.S. citizens, and every vote illegally cast by an alien cancels out a legal vote," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "Maintaining the integrity of our elections and protecting the voting rights of citizens are among the highest priorities of my office. We will work with federal law enforcement and our state partners to vigorously safeguard those rights through the prosecutions brought to date and more that may soon follow."
The Department of Justice said other defendants in states including Texas, Idaho, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Michigan are also facing charges.
In July, the federal agency warned the Georgia Secretary of State's Office that they could face federal prosecution if it finds that noncitizens are voting in the state's federal elections, saying in a letter that state and local officials have to "properly maintain election records and undertake certain actions to ensure that only eligible U.S. citizens cast votes in elections for federal office."
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger responded by saying his office has fought to prevent noncitizen voting and has previously called on Congress to "enshrine citizen-only voting in the Constitution."
