Miami-Dade County authorities arrested an elderly man of Cuban origin who, without having US citizenship, participated in the electoral process.
This is Lázaro Valle Vilar, 74 years old, who now faces several serious charges for having registered and voted in local elections without being a legal US citizen.
The charges were brought by the county’s State Attorney’s Office, led by Attorney General Katherine Fernández Rundle, and came after a lengthy investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Department of State’s Bureau of Crime and Election Security. and the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Office.
The elderly man would have participated in the Miami municipal voting that took place on November 2, 2021, where he marked on his voter registration form, in both Spanish and English, that he was a US citizen and could vote, something he was not. So.
Due to these actions, the elderly man faces four serious charges including voting without being a qualified elector, making false statements related to voting or elections, submitting false information when registering as a voter, and making misleading statements to a Secretary of State.
Prosecutor Fernández Rundle issued a statement in this regard, emphasizing how important it was to have US citizenship when exercising the right to vote.
“Voting is a privilege and fundamental right reserved for American citizens. (…) Lázaro Valle-Vilar could have become a citizen and voted legally if he had made the effort. However, he did not do it,” he declared in this regard.
Finally, Fernández Rundle highlighted the work done by multiple state and local agencies to maintain the integrity of the electoral process in the country.
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