A Broken Arrow woman faces four federal charges for allegedly voting in the 2022 midterm elections while not a U.S. citizen, according to a criminal complaint filed in Tulsa federal court.
Lenor Lopez Rios, 23, was charged Tuesday, Oct. 27, with voting by an alien in a federal election, making false statements related to voter registration, falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and submitting a fraudulent voter registration application, according to the Tulsa World.
Rios, a citizen of the Philippines, came to the United States in 2017 and is a lawful permanent resident, according to an affidavit submitted by a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent in support of an arrest warrant. Only U.S. citizens 18 and older who live in Oklahoma can vote in state or federal elections.
Tulsa County Election Board flagged the case
The case traces back to the Tulsa County Election Board. In July 2025, board officials notified the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about voters who were not U.S. citizens being removed from the rolls, the affidavit states.
HSI determined that those referred had either voted or registered to vote in Tulsa County elections. Rios was among the referrals. The affidavit states fraud indicators showed she registered to vote and voted in the Nov. 8, 2022, general election while living in Broken Arrow.
A 2023 state law requires counties to provide their election boards with lists of people excused from jury duty for not being a U.S. citizen. Election boards must then cancel those individuals' voter registrations. The affidavit notes some noncitizens were initially placed in prospective jury pools because they held or applied for a state driver's license but were later excused from jury service.
County election board officials are also instructed to report those names to the appropriate district attorney and U.S. attorney offices, the Tulsa World reported.
Affidavit describes Rios’ explanation
HSI agents interviewed Rios at her Broken Arrow home, according to the affidavit. She admitted to casting a ballot in 2022 but claimed she was confused and unaware of the law prohibiting her from voting.
Rios told agents she filled out a voter registration form identifying her as a U.S. citizen while at the Oklahoma DMV. She claimed she did not know or understand what she was signing. In Oklahoma, people with U.S. citizenship who apply for a driver's license are presented with the option of also registering to vote, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit also includes images of a voter registration application dated March 3 where Rios allegedly signed an oath confirming her U.S. citizenship. The year of that application was not specified in the Tulsa World's account.
Rios also applied for U.S. citizenship, according to the affidavit. That application included a form falsely stating she had never registered to vote or voted in a federal, state or local election, the affidavit alleges. The Tulsa World reported a March 23 application date without specifying the year.
Registrations canceled across Oklahoma
Tulsa County has canceled the voter registrations of eight people this year for not being U.S. citizens, according to Oklahoma Election Board records. Statewide, 31 registrations have been canceled for noncitizen status.
If convicted, Rios faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison each on the false statements and fraud charges. The alien voting and false citizenship claim charges carry respective maximums of one and three years. Court records indicate Rios was not in custody and did not have legal representation as of the filing. No response from Rios or an attorney on her behalf was available as of the Tulsa World's report.
