A Canadian-born lawful permanent resident who has lived in the United States since childhood has been arrested in Missouri after a federal grand jury indicted him for allegedly falsely claiming to be a United States citizen in order to register to vote, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri announced on Friday, October 30, 2026.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Missouri (justice.gov)
Christopher Doucet, 68, was born in Canada and immigrated to the United States during his childhood, becoming a lawful permanent resident — a green-card holder. Lawful permanent residents are not allowed to vote in federal elections, and they are not allowed to vote in state or local elections in Missouri, prosecutors noted.
What the indictment alleges
According to the Justice Department, although Doucet knew he was not a United States citizen and knew he was not allowed to vote, he registered to vote in Jackson County, Missouri, on January 30, 2024. On his voter registration card, prosecutors say, Doucet answered “Yes” to the question, “Are you a citizen of the United States of America?” and then signed his name under a certification that read, “I hereby certify that I am a citizen of the United States . . .” The bottom of the card warns that a conviction for making a false statement may result in a fine or imprisonment.
On April 2, 2024, Doucet then voted in a General Municipal Election at the Living Hope Restoration Branch polling place in Independence, Missouri, according to the announcement. Independence is a major suburb of Kansas City in Jackson County.
If convicted, Doucet faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 under federal statutes, the Justice Department said. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Nichols and was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. The department stressed that the charges in the indictment are simply accusations, not evidence of guilt, and that a federal trial jury will decide whether Doucet is guilty or not.
One of five Canadians charged this week
The Missouri case is one of five prosecutions of Canadians announced on Thursday and Friday in U.S. attorneys' releases from Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina and Wisconsin, CBC News reported on Friday. All five involve Canadians living in the United States — most of them listed as lawful permanent residents — accused of falsely claiming citizenship to cast a ballot, or of illegally voting in a past election, and the defendants are between 58 and 68 years old, according to the Justice Department figures compiled by CBC.
According to a tally compiled by CBC News, at least 20 Canadians have now been charged or sentenced in the United States this year in federal election-integrity investigations; most of the charges have been filed since last month, with allegations typically dating back several years. U.S. authorities have also announced similar charges against citizens of several other countries, including Australia, Colombia, Cuba, Jamaica and the United Kingdom, CBC reported.
“The right to vote is fundamental to American citizenship and a cornerstone of our republic,” Dan Bishop, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, said in a statement carried in the releases. Bishop said the recent charges “serve notice that those who violate our election laws, including non-citizens who register and vote, will be investigated and prosecuted.” HSI, for its part, posted on X on Friday: “Anyone who unlawfully votes will be found and brought to justice!”
Ottawa warned, and a caution about scale
Last week, the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa said in a statement that Canadians account for the “second highest total of prosecutions for fraudulent or illegal voting of any country,” and warned pointedly that “all Canadians should refrain from attempting to participate in or influence U.S. elections in any way. Americans decide America's elections.”
Election experts quoted by CBC urged readers to keep the scale in view. David Becker, executive director of the non-partisan Center for Election Innovation and Research, said what little non-citizen voting occurs in the United States has not affected the outcomes of elections, and he questioned the timing of the announcements days before the November 3 midterm elections. CBC also noted that the enforcement push aligns with President Donald Trump's long-running claims of widespread voter fraud in federal elections, claims the broadcaster described as false.
Registering to vote is not a harmless paperwork step for a permanent resident: in Missouri it is barred at every level — federal, state and local — and the registration card itself is signed under a citizenship certification. For Punjabi and other immigrant families in the U.S. on green cards, this case is a concrete reminder to decline voter-registration offers at motor-vehicle offices, fairs and doorsteps unless and until naturalization is complete.
What happens next
Doucet's case will proceed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, where the government must present evidence supporting the charges to a federal trial jury. No trial date was announced in Friday's release. The arrest lands four days before the November 3 midterms, in the middle of a nationwide run of noncitizen-voting prosecutions that Awaaz Punjab has been covering state by state — including 18 additional defendants charged in North Carolina this week and dozens of arrests announced by ICE — and further announcements from U.S. attorneys' offices are possible before polls close.