18 USC § 611 - Voting by aliens

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t18/s611"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "18 USC § 611 - Voting by aliens"
title_number: 18
title_name: "CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE"
section_number: "611"
section_name: "Voting by aliens"
chapter_number: 29
chapter_name: "ELECTIONS AND POLITICAL ACTIVITIES"
part_number: "I"
part_name: "CRIMES"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-21"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 104–208, div. C, title II, § 216(a), Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–572; amended Pub. L. 106–395, title II, § 201(d)(1), Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1635.)"
---


# § 611. Voting by aliens

**(a)** It shall be unlawful for any alien to vote in any election held solely or in part for the purpose of electing a candidate for the office of President, Vice President, Presidential elector, Member of the Senate, Member of the House of Representatives, Delegate from the District of Columbia, or Resident Commissioner, unless—

**(1)** the election is held partly for some other purpose;

**(2)** aliens are authorized to vote for such other purpose under a State constitution or statute or a local ordinance; and

**(3)** voting for such other purpose is conducted independently of voting for a candidate for such Federal offices, in such a manner that an alien has the opportunity to vote for such other purpose, but not an opportunity to vote for a candidate for any one or more of such Federal offices.

**(b)** Any person who violates this section shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

**(c)** Subsection (a) does not apply to an alien if—

**(1)** each natural parent of the alien (or, in the case of an adopted alien, each adoptive parent of the alien) is or was a citizen (whether by birth or naturalization);

**(2)** the alien permanently resided in the United States prior to attaining the age of 16; and

**(3)** the alien reasonably believed at the time of voting in violation of such subsection that he or she was a citizen of the United States.

---

**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 104–208, div. C, title II, § 216(a), Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–572; amended Pub. L. 106–395, title II, § 201(d)(1), Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1635.)

## Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 611, acts , ; , , ; , , §§ 101(e)(2), 103, , 1272, prohibited campaign contributions by government contractors, prior to repeal by , , . See , Voting and Elections.

### Amendments

2000—Subsec. (c).  added subsec. (c).

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 2000 Amendment

> “The amendment made by paragraph (1) [amending this section] shall be effective as if included in the enactment of section 216 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (
> 
> ;
> 
> ). The amendment made by paragraph (2) [amending
> 
> ] shall be effective as if included in the enactment of section 215 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (
> 
> ;
> 
> ). The amendments made by paragraphs (1) and (2) shall apply to an alien prosecuted on or after
> 
> , except in the case of an alien whose criminal proceeding (including judicial review thereof) has been finally concluded before the date of the enactment of this Act [
> 
> ].”

, , , provided that: