Accused noncitizen voter in Michigan faces bench warrant after failing to appear for court [View all]
ANN ARBOR — A University of Michigan student accused of illegally voting in the 2024 election is facing a bench warrant after failing to appear in court for a hearing Thursday.
Haoxiang Gao, 20, a Chinese national, is facing two felony charges that he cast a ballot despite not being eligible and lied on the voter registration form. He was scheduled for a probable-cause hearing but didn’t appear. The hearing had been delayed repeatedly over the past several months.
It’s not clear where Gao is. K. Orlando Simón, Gao’s attorney and a staff member at the University of Michigan’s Student Legal Services, declined to comment Thursday, and university officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A voicemail left with the Washtenaw County prosecutor’s office Friday morning was not immediately returned.
The bench warrant, which authorizes an arrest, is an escalation in a case that has highlighted a loophole in the state’s same-day registration system, prompting lawmakers and state officials to propose new solutions to ensure it won’t happen again.
https://michiganadvance.com/2025/04/25/accused-noncitizen-voter-in-michigan-faces-bench-warrant-after-failing-to-appear-for-court/
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