Union County woman charged with illegally voting in 2024 primary
Federal prosecutors allege the 41-year-old was not a U.S. citizen when she registered to vote and later cast a ballot.
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A Union County woman is accused of illegally voting in the June 2024 primary election while she was not a U.S. citizen, according to federal prosecutors.
Mercedes Alexandra Cardoso, 41, was charged with voting by an alien in a federal election, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey announced Friday.
According to a criminal complaint, Cardoso was not a U.S. citizen when she registered through New Jersey's online voter registration system and falsely certified that she was.
Prosecutors allege Cardoso later cast a ballot in the June 2024 primary, which included candidates running for president and vice president. Cardoso entered the United States from Ecuador on a B-2 visa and was not a U.S. citizen when she voted, according to the complaint.
Cardoso is scheduled to make her initial appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte in Newark federal court. If convicted, she faces up to one year in prison.
