Federal prosecutors announced charges Thursday against a Canadian citizen they say repeatedly registered and voted in elections in North Carolina over the last 20 years.
Denis Bouchard, 69, has lived in the U.S. since the 1960s and claimed to be an American citizen when he signed up and voted. But he never actually obtained citizenship, the Justice Department said.
He is charged with illegally voting in the 2022 and 2024 elections, though state records show a Denis Bouchard registered and voting in New Hanover and Pender County in nine general elections dating back to 2004.
Records show he voted in every federal contest since then, save for 2006 and 2020.
He is now listed as removed from the rolls.
“Every single time a noncitizen casts an illegal vote in North Carolina, it steals and nullifies the vote of an actual citizen,” said Ellis Boyle, the U.S. attorney who brought the charges in Wilmington.
Sam Hayes, executive director of the state elections board, said his investigators launched the case then handed it over to the FBI.
“Nothing is more critical to our democracy than confidence in our electoral process, which is why vigorous enforcement of our election laws must be a priority,” he said.
No lawyer was listed for Mr. Bouchard in court records Thursday.
According to state voting records, he most recently registered in 2022, presumably when he changed residence from Pender to New Hanover.
He did not list any political party affiliation in court records, and the records do not show any votes in party primaries.
He is listed as White and not Hispanic.
Voting rights groups say noncitizen voting is not an issue, arguing it’s so rare as to be almost nonexistent.
Voter integrity activists say investigators haven’t been looking for noncitizens, but when they do look they find some on the rolls.
Mr. Bouchard is at least the eighth case federal authorities have announced this year.
