Federal authorities have charged a Slovakian national living in New Jersey with illegally registering to vote and casting a ballot in the 2022 federal midterm election, according to court records and reporting on the case. Prosecutors allege the defendant falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen on official government documents, raising renewed attention to the debate over election security and the safeguards designed to prevent noncitizens from voting.
According to federal authorities, 62-year-old Marian Charitun, a citizen of Slovakia, registered to vote in New Jersey despite allegedly lacking U.S. citizenship. Investigators claim that during the voter registration process he certified, under penalty of perjury, that he was an American citizen. Officials further allege that he later voted in the 2022 midterm election.
Authorities say the alleged misconduct came to light after Charitun applied to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. During that application process, prosecutors allege he certified under penalty of perjury that he had never voted in a U.S. election. Federal officials reportedly compared his application with election records, discovered the previous vote, and denied the citizenship request before bringing criminal charges.
