What Has Been Done to Protect Election Integrity?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns election integrity and moves made by the Trump administration Justice Department to combat voter fraud. Fred Lucas at The Heritage Foundation summarized “four big election integrity developments across the country just in the past seven days.” 

1. Russian Collusion?

An Uzbekistan national pleaded guilty to conspiring with a Russian national to submit more than 100 fraudulent voter registration forms.

United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida announced the guilty plea on Tuesday.

Sanjar Jamilov, 32, a citizen of Uzbekistan living in St. Petersburg, Florida, faces a maximum of five years in federal prison.

The plea agreement asserts that Dmitry Shushlebin, 45, a Russian living in Miami, hired Jamilov, among others, to submit more than 100 fraudulent voter registration applications to the Pinellas County supervisor of elections in February and March 2023, according to the Justice Department. Shushlebin pleaded not guilty….

2. Ukrainian Voting

Last Halloween, two Ukrainian nationals allegedly cast early votes in the general election in Palm Beach, Florida.

The two women, Svitlana Demydenko, 53, and her daughter, Yelyzaveta Demydenko, 22, made their initial appearances in West Palm Beach federal court on Tuesday, according to the Justice Department, and were charged with unlawful voting. U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida is overseeing the case….

The mother and daughter came to the United States in April 2021 on nonimmigrant visas. In August 2024, while living in Florida, they registered to vote in federal elections, according to the Justice Department.

Then, on Oct. 31, the Justice Department said the two voted….

The mother told law enforcement they were unaware that they couldn’t lawfully vote… [and] voted to make a difference.

Both have only been arrested and are presumed innocent.

3. Iraqi Voting

The Justice Department also charged an Iraqi national for allegedly casting an illegal vote in the 2020 election.

The DOJ credited the Department of Government Efficiency with assisting in the investigation.

Iraqi national Akeel Abdul Jamiel, 45, formerly of South Glens Falls, New York, was charged on Friday with illegally voting.

Jamiel said he is innocent and has not been in the United States for years. If convicted, the charges carry a maximum one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, according to the Justice Department….

4. New Jersey Task Force

New Jersey is one of only two states with a governor’s race this year.

U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey announced Tuesday the creation of the Election Integrity Task Force that consists of a team of federal prosecutors working with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies to implement the directives of Trump’s executive order on election integrity.

The task force’s objectives will include facilitating information-sharing among federal, state, and local officials to help election officials remove from New Jersey voter lists individuals who are not eligible to vote. It will also focus on enforcing federal laws that prohibit voter registration fraud, casting of fraudulent ballots, and voting by noncitizens.

In March, interim District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Ed Martin also established a special unit to investigate election offenses.