2 Ukrainian nationals charged with unlawfully voting in 2024 U.S. elections

Two Ukrainian nationals have been charged with unlawfully voting in the 2024 U.S. presidential election while residing in Palm Beach, Florida, federal prosecutors announced.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida on Tuesday, 53-year-old Svitlana Demydenko and her 22-year-old daughter, Yelyzaveta Demydenko, both noncitizens, voted during early voting on October 31, 2024, despite lacking U.S. citizenship.

Prosecutors say the two women entered the United States in April 2021 on nonimmigrant visas. In August 2024, while living in Florida, they allegedly registered to vote in federal elections using a system that requires individuals to certify that they are U.S. citizens—a qualification neither woman possessed.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), and multiple state and federal agencies, including the Florida Department of State’s Office of Election Crimes and Security and the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections.

Both women appeared in federal court in West Palm Beach on Tuesday. Authorities have not released further details on how the unauthorized registrations were processed or whether additional individuals may be under investigation.