Another Filipino Lawful Permanent Resident Charged in U.S. Illegal Voting Case

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced election-related charges against 16 individuals across the country, including Filipino national Eliza M. Moss, 63, a lawful permanent resident in Ohio who is accused of unlawfully voting in a federal election as a non-U.S. citizen.

Moss was among 16 individuals named by federal authorities in a nationwide series of election-related cases involving allegations of illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration, false claims of U.S. citizenship, multiple voting, voting on behalf of deceased individuals, and other election crimes.

According to the Justice Department, Moss registered to vote in September 2004 and again in February 2023.

Federal authorities said her signature appeared on voter registration forms next to the declaration: “I declare under penalty of election falsification I am a citizen of the United States.”

Voting records allegedly show that Moss participated in several primary and general elections despite not being a U.S. citizen.

According to the criminal complaint, Moss told investigators that the person who helped her complete her voter registration paperwork had told her she was allowed to vote even though she was not a citizen.

Moss, who is a lawful permanent resident, was charged by criminal complaint in the Northern District of Ohio with unlawfully voting in a federal election as an alien.

Her case was announced as part of a broader Justice Department enforcement action involving defendants in several states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Missouri, Idaho, New Jersey, Hawaii, Kentucky and New Mexico.

The allegations in the nationwide cases include non-U.S. citizens voting in federal elections, false statements regarding U.S. citizenship, double voting, and an attempt to cast a ballot belonging to a deceased person.

Moss is one of the Filipino nationals recently identified in federal unlawful-voting cases in the United States, drawing attention within the Filipino-American community to the legal consequences of voter registration and voting by non-citizens.

Under federal law, lawful permanent resident status does not by itself give a person the right to vote in federal elections. U.S. citizenship is generally required to vote for federal offices.