JUST IN: Dearborn, Michigan Poll Worker, Speaking in Arabic, Tells Undercover Reporter He Can Vote for U.S. Senate Despite Saying He’s Not a U.S. Citizen — Just Not President “Only for U.S. President you can’t vote, but the others you can” is: “بس لرئيس أميركا ما فيك تصوّت، بس للباقيين فيك تصوّت.” Under 18 U.S.C. § 611, noncitizens are prohibited from voting in federal elections, including U.S. Senate races, subject to narrow exceptions.
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 4, 2026
James O’Keefe has released undercover video from a Dearborn, Michigan, polling place on Election Day showing a poll worker, speaking in Arabic, telling a reporter who stated he was not a U.S. citizen that he could still vote in the U.S. Senate race, just not for president.
In the clip posted to X, the undercover journalist asks, “I’m not a U.S. citizen is that okay?” and later inquires about voting for “Abdul,” a reference to Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
The post translates the worker’s response as “Only for U.S. President you can’t vote, but the others you can.”
O’Keefe notes that under 18 U.S.C. § 611, noncitizens are prohibited from voting in federal elections, including U.S. Senate races, subject to narrow exceptions.
Dearborn, home to one of the largest Arab-American communities in the United States, has been a focal point in the closely watched Michigan Senate contest between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers.
El-Sayed, a physician and former public health official of Egyptian descent, is seeking to become the first Muslim U.S. senator if elected.
This is the latest in a series of undercover operations by O’Keefe Media Group focused on election procedures.
