Two Canadians living in New York are charged with voting in US federal elections

Paula Stitt, 57, a permanent resident of Albany for 31 years, is accused of voting in at least two federal elections in 2024. She was questioned in August at the Peace Bridge, returning from a family reunion in Canada.

Jacques Patry, 64, who has lived in Tupper Lake, New York, for five years, is accused of voting in the 2022 midterm elections. Neither has US citizenship.

Maximum fine

100,000 US$

A non-citizen voting in a US federal election faces a fine of up to US$100,000 and a year in prison.

Both were released on conditions, among five permanent residents charged, with two British citizens and a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina. "The law is clear that only U.S. citizens can vote in elections that have candidates running for federal office," the prosecutor said.

— John A. Sarcone III, US attorney's office