Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

A Chinese national who studies at the University of Michigan is facing criminal charges for illegally registering to vote and casting a ballot at an early voting site in Ann Arbor.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit announced the charges Wednesday.

The 19-year-old student cast a ballot on Sunday, the Secretary of State’s office confirmed, adding that the student’s ballot was entered into the tabulator and is expected to be counted.

The student later contacted the local clerk‘s office, asking if he could get his ballot back, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a statement saying, "My office is aware of the Ann Arbor voter fraud allegation and subsequent charges. It is the responsibility of each and every resident of this state and nation to adhere to the law, and Michigan election law makes clear that non-citizens cannot vote in our elections. We take all allegations of voter fraud extremely seriously, and the public should expect nothing less.

As with previous election-law related cases, the Department of Attorney General has commenced an independent, parallel investigation into this matter."