Skip to content
Democracy SENTRY
Voting in your state
UpdateNew YorkSaturday, October 24, 2026

Syracuse woman charged with voting illegally says she didn't know she wasn't a citizen

Reporting by
PBS
“New York state woman charged with voting illegally says she recently learned she wasn't a citizen”, Saturday, October 24, 2026
Read the full story
What happened

Marva Cook, 66, of Syracuse, was adopted as a toddler and assumed she was a citizen until searching for her biological mother led her to a German birth certificate. Federal prosecutors say she cast ballots in recent elections despite holding a green card. She faces a single misdemeanor charge of voting by an alien stemming from her vote in the 2022 midterms.1

The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine up to $100,000.1

one year
maximum prison sentence for voting by an alien1
$100,000
maximum fine for voting by an alien1

Key dates in New York

Election Day in 7 days
  1. Sat, Oct 24 · passed
    Early voting begins; Registration deadline
  2. Mon, Nov 2 · 6 days
    Last day for mail ballot applications
  3. Tue, Nov 3 · 7 days
    Election Day
  4. Tue, Nov 10 · 14 days
    Mail ballots must arrive
  5. Sat, Nov 28 · 32 days
    County/Local certification
  6. Tue, Dec 15 · 49 days
    State certification

Every date in New York, and who certifies the election

The answers behind this
Voter ID and proof of citizenshipVoting in New York, 2026Can noncitizens vote?Who certifies the election in New York, and by when?

Explore this issue

OverviewUpdates In depthArizona replaced its election night results reporting system In depthWhite House proposed rule to prohibit federal voter registration funding In depthOhio early in-person voting hours expanded to include weekends In depthWisconsin judge ruled against backup plan for late mail ballots

Sources

  1. PBS, https://news.google.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?oc=5 · Saturday, October 24, 2026

Ask

Have a question about voting in New York?

Ask it here. If we do not have the answer yet, we will find it.