The penalties for voter registration fraud start at up to five years in federal prison and up to $10,000 in fines, and they rarely stop there. State charges can run in parallel. Non-citizens face deportation on top of criminal punishment. A felony conviction can strip voting rights, close off professional licenses, and follow you through every future background check.
Federal Prison Time and Fines
Two federal statutes drive most registration fraud prosecutions, and they can be charged together.
Under 52 U.S.C. § 10307(c), knowingly giving false information about your name, address, or length of residence to qualify to register or vote carries a fine of up to $10,000, up to five years in prison, or both.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 52 USC 10307 – Prohibited Acts The same ceiling applies to conspiring with someone to encourage a fraudulent registration or paying someone to register or vote. This statute reaches only elections that include a federal office.
The National Voter Registration Act adds a separate offense under 52 U.S.C. § 20511 for submitting voter registration applications known to be materially false. It carries the same five-year, fine-included ceiling.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 52 USC 20511 – Criminal Penalties Where § 10307 targets the person lying about their own eligibility, § 20511 also reaches organizers, canvassers, and election workers who knowingly process or submit batches of fake applications. Someone who both lies on their own form and submits others’ fraudulent applications can be charged under both.
Additional Federal Charges Against Non-Citizens
Federal law layers extra offenses on non-citizens who register or vote, and the charges stack.
Voting in a federal election as a non-citizen is prohibited under 18 U.S.C. § 611 and carries up to one year in prison plus a fine.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 611 – Voting by Aliens The registration step itself is treated more harshly. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1015(f), falsely claiming to be a citizen to register or vote in any federal, state, or local election is punishable by up to five years in prison.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1015 – Naturalization, Citizenship, or Alien Registry A broader statute, 18 U.S.C. § 911, makes false representation of U.S. citizenship for any purpose a crime carrying up to three years.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 911 – Citizen of the United States
A non-citizen who checks the citizenship attestation box on a voter registration form could face charges under all three provisions plus the general registration fraud statutes above. One narrow exception applies: you’re not liable if both parents were U.S. citizens, you permanently lived in the United States before age 16, and you reasonably believed you were a citizen.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 611 – Voting by Aliens
State Charges on Top of Federal Ones
Every state has its own registration fraud law. Most classify intentional fraud as a felony, with the grade turning on severity and circumstances. Felony-level prison exposure generally runs one to five years. Less serious violations handled as misdemeanors may carry up to a year in county jail. State fines commonly fall between $1,000 and $10,000 per violation, with higher amounts possible for organized schemes.
Local district attorneys prosecute state charges and must prove the same core element federal prosecutors do: that you acted knowingly and with intent to deceive. State and federal laws operate independently, so a single act of registration fraud can draw both. The dual-sovereignty rule means a state conviction does not shield you from federal prosecution for the same conduct, or the reverse.
Deportation and Loss of Naturalization
For non-citizens, the immigration fallout can outlast any sentence. Any non-citizen who falsely claims U.S. citizenship for any purpose under federal or state law is deportable, and checking the citizenship box on a registration form qualifies. A separate deportation ground reaches any non-citizen who has voted in violation of federal, state, or local law.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1227 – Deportable Aliens Either ground can start removal proceedings whether or not criminal charges are filed.
USCIS policy guidance as of August 2025 states that unlawful voter registration can derail a naturalization application. If you registered to vote on a form that asked about citizenship, you carry the burden of proving you didn’t falsely claim it. A false claim triggers a Notice to Appear in immigration court, and USCIS will generally deny the naturalization application once removal proceedings begin.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Good Moral Character, Unlawful Voting, and False Claim to US Citizenship in the Naturalization Context The same parents-citizens, pre-16 residency, reasonable-belief exception can apply.
Mistakes Versus Fraud
Every federal registration fraud statute requires that you acted “knowingly and willfully.” Accidentally transposing Social Security digits, misspelling a street, or forgetting to update your registration after moving is not a crime. Prosecutors must show you knew the information was false and submitted it anyway to deceive.
The National Voter Registration Act’s criminal provision specifically requires that applications were “known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent.”2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 52 USC 20511 – Criminal Penalties Election offices routinely reject incomplete or error-ridden applications as part of normal processing. Administrative rejection is not prosecution.
One point worth knowing: being registered in two states at the same time is not itself a crime. It happens all the time when people move and register at a new address without canceling the old one. The crime is voting in both places or registering with intent to deceive.
The “I didn’t know” defense gets harder when the form you signed includes a citizenship attestation under penalty of perjury. If you checked the citizenship box knowing you weren’t a citizen, or listed an address you knew was fake, the willfulness element is easy for prosecutors to prove.
What Follows a Conviction
A felony conviction for registration fraud reaches well past the sentence itself. Most states automatically revoke voting rights on felony conviction, and getting them back requires a separate process that can take years. Some states treat election-related offenses as especially disqualifying and require a governor’s pardon rather than the standard restoration path.
The record also follows you into daily life. Employment background checks will surface it. Many professional licensing boards treat fraud-related offenses as grounds for denial or revocation. Federal employment and security clearances become very difficult to obtain. Because registration fraud is a crime of dishonesty, courts in many jurisdictions can use it to impeach your credibility if you ever testify as a witness.
Getting Voting Rights Back
If the conviction leaves a felony on your record, the restoration path depends entirely on your state. State approaches fall into roughly four groups:
- A few states allow voting even while incarcerated, so a felony conviction never interrupts the right.
- About half the states restore voting rights as soon as you leave prison, with no paperwork beyond re-registering.
- Around 15 states require you to finish your full sentence, including parole or probation. Some also require paying all outstanding fines, fees, and restitution first.
- Roughly 10 states impose waiting periods beyond your sentence, require a petition to a court, or demand a governor’s pardon for certain offenses.
In every category, “automatic restoration” means your legal eligibility returns, not that you’re added back to the voter rolls. You still have to re-register. Where a pardon or court petition is required, the process can take months and often needs legal help.
Financial obligations deserve attention. In states that condition restoration on paying fines and restitution, unpaid legal financial obligations can effectively block voting rights indefinitely, even after the full sentence is served and supervision ends.