A 19-year-old woman at the center of a Maui illegal voting case pleaded not guilty in federal court Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully voting as a noncitizen.
According to court filings, Bernadette Acaso is accused of casting a ballot in Maui in the 2024 general election despite not being a U.S. citizen. Authorities said she legally emigrated from the Philippines to Hawaiʻi as a child in 2018 and later became a lawful permanent resident.
Court records state Acaso told FBI agents she believed her legal residency allowed her to vote. She also said she felt pressured by her uncle, who petitioned for her family’s immigration, according to the documents.
The Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Honolulu, where Acaso was arraigned on a charge of unlawful voting as a noncitizen.
She is the second person charged in Hawaiʻi this summer with unlawfully voting as an alien. In June, Remedios Alasaas, 66, of Kahului, also a Filipino immigrant, pleaded not guilty to allegations she voted in the 2022 general election and the 2024 August primary. A trial for Alasaas is scheduled in December.
Both defendants face up to one year in jail and fines up to $100,000. Separate from the criminal cases, each could also face deportation.
Maui County Clerk Moana Lutey said by email that both women notified her office they were not U.S. citizens, and she referred the matters to the FBI.
Context: Maui illegal voting case is extremely rare
In federal district court Tuesday, Acaso quietly answered “Yes, your Honor” when Judge Rom Trader asked if she understood the proceedings. She then briefly covered her face with her hands. Acaso, her supporters and her attorney, federal public defender Donovan Asao Odo, declined to comment after the hearing.
The charges against Acaso and Alasaas, the first such noncitizen voting cases in Hawaiʻi in at least four decades, arrive amid national political claims that illegal voting is influencing elections. Independent reviews have found these cases to be uncommon.
A ProPublica analysis of Justice Department data found that between January 2025 and May 2026, fewer than 150 alleged noncitizen voters were referred for prosecution nationwide. Only 41 people were charged with illegal voting or other election-related crimes during that period.
In Hawaiʻi, more than 500,000 people voted in the 2024 general election in which Acaso is accused of participating. Alasaas is accused of voting in the 2022 general election and the August 2024 primary.
Acaso’s trial is set for Oct. 20.
For broader context on federal criminal proceedings, see coverage such as Russia rejects Black Sea ceasefire amid shipping attacks on The Trade Wind.
Additional information about federal election crimes and enforcement is available from the U.S. Department of Justice.
