{
  "id": 17845627,
  "title": "POLICING THE POLLS: Two South Africans charged in sweeping US illegal voting crackdowns",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/policing-the-polls-two-south-africans-charged-in-sweeping-us-illegal",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-02T19:58:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Maverick",
    "slug": "daily-maverick",
    "url": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-11-02-two-south-africans-charged-in-sweeping-us-illegal-voting-crackdowns/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two South Africans, Hester Weihmann and Hanlie Venter, have been charged with unlawful voting in the US. Weihmann, 69, made a false claim of citizenship to vote in the November 2024 federal election in Minnesota, while Venter, 67, voted illegally in the same election in McDonald County, Missouri. The US Attorney's Office in Missouri stated that lawful permanent residents are not allowed to vote in federal elections. Both Weihmann and Venter have pleaded not guilty.",
  "summary": "US authorities have accused several foreigners of unlawfully registering to vote in the country, and among those recently charged are two South Africans – Hester Weihmann and Hanlie Venter. The case against Weihmann is connected with a judge whom the US now wants recused because of his ‘unvarnished political view’ on America’s controversial immigration enforcement.",
  "key_points": [
    "Two South Africans charged with unlawful voting in US.",
    "Hester Weihmann, 69, falsely claimed citizenship to vote in Minnesota.",
    "Hanlie Venter, 67, illegally voted in McDonald County, Missouri."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}