Miami, FL – Two Ukrainian nationals have been charged with illegal voting in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election during early voting in Palm Beach, Florida. Svitlana Demydenko, 53, and her daughter, Yelyzaveta Demydenko, 22, appeared in federal court in West Palm Beach to face charges related to the incident.
Authorities revealed that the mother and daughter entered the United States on nonimmigrant visas in April 2021. Despite lacking U.S. citizenship, they registered to vote in federal elections in August 2024 by falsely certifying their citizenship status. On October 31, 2024, they cast their ballots in the federal election, which included the presidential race.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, along with officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Field Division and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
The investigation was conducted by HSI Miami Field Division and the FDLE’s Election Crime Unit, with support from the Florida Department of State, the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, and the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency. Assistant U.S. Attorney John McMillan is leading the prosecution.
As with all criminal complaints, the charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
