A Chinese student at the University of Michigan has been charged with allegedly voting unlawfully in the critical swing state of Michigan, yet officials confirm that the vote will still be counted.

According to the Michigan Secretary of State’s office, the student cast a ballot at the University of Michigan Museum of Art on Sunday, Oct. 27. Both Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit stated, “Only U.S. citizens can register and vote in our elections. It is illegal to lie on any registration forms or voting applications about one’s citizenship status. Doing so is a felony.”

Though the ballot was cast illegally, it remains expected to be counted in the election. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew McCarthy told Fox News Digital that because of the secret ballot system, “there is no way for election officials to retrieve it once it’s been put through a tabulator.” McCarthy explained to Fox, “The ballot does not have an identifying PIN number or other kind of identifying information that would enable somebody afterward to figure out who voted for whom…if the person passes the identification and qualification aspect of the early voting and gets to fill out the ballot, the ballot then goes into a tabulator, and it gets counted.”

The Chinese student, whose identity has not been disclosed, faces charges of perjury for making a false statement to secure voter registration and for being an unauthorized elector attempting to vote. In Michigan, the unauthorized elector charge is a felony carrying a penalty of up to four years in prison and a $2,000 fine.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office has announced an “independent, parallel investigation” into the incident.