A British national living in Miami Beach was arrested for voting illegally six times in American elections while falsely claiming American citizenshipaccording to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
James Ross Wightman, 65, faces multiple charges after authorities discovered he voted in local and state elections despite being deported from the United States in 1989.
News week contacted FDLE by email Sunday for comment.
The context
This case highlights ongoing concerns about election integrity and the verification systems used to prevent unauthorized voting.
In October 2024, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger revealed the results of a citizenship audit of the state’s voter rolls, which showed that out of 8.2 million registered voters, only 20 people were not U.S. citizens.
Raffensperger said all 20 recordings were canceled and the files were forwarded to local prosecutors to determine whether criminal charges were appropriate.
However, nine of them had participated in previous elections, while the other 11 had never voted.
What you need to know
According to the FDLE, Wightman was voluntarily deported from the United States in September 1989 after overstaying his visitor visa and being charged with drug trafficking in Hawaii.
He returned to the United States in November 2000 and submitted a voter registration application with a false claim of U.S. citizenship.
In November 2013, authorities say Wightman presented a fraudulent Ohio birth certificate to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to renew his Florida driver’s license. The Ohio Department of Health has confirmed that no such birth certificate exists.
Between 2022 and 2024, Wightman competed in six local and national elections while registered without party affiliation since 2013.
What people say
Miami-Dade County State’s Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement: “Voting is a civic duty for every American citizen. James Wightman knew he was not an American citizen because he had already left for the United Kingdom when he faced deportation.”
What happens next
Wightman is currently being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, with no attorney information available on the county clerk’s website.
The case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Election Crimes Unit, in conjunction with the Florida Department of State’s Election Crimes and Security Bureau , the US Department of State and Department of Homeland Security Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Miami-Dade County Elections Office Supervisor, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and the Miami Beach Police Department also assisted in the arrest.
