Two rightwing influencers, James O’Keefe and Cam Higby, have been charged with felonies in Minneapolis following their attempts to vote under assumed identities during Minnesota’s primary election. The charges include unlawful voting and identity theft, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. The men visited multiple polling places while disguised and presented themselves using the names of registered Minnesota voters from those precincts, misrepresenting their identities to election judges.
The individuals claimed their actions were intended to demonstrate vulnerabilities in Minnesota’s “vouching” system, which permits registered voters from the same precinct to vouch for another voter’s eligibility. Minnesota state law permits vouching, though it is rarely utilized. Data from the Minnesota secretary of state’s office shows that fewer than 0.6% of votes in the 2024 general election used the vouching process. The system includes safeguards requiring vouchers to sign affidavits under penalty of perjury attesting that they personally know the voter they are vouching for.
O’Keefe and Higby did not sign the required affidavits or attempt to obtain ballots, Moriarty stated. She noted that even without videos the men posted publicly, her office could have pursued charges based on election judges’ observations of suspicious behavior and their participation in the investigation. O’Keefe is the founder of Project Veritas, an organization that has employed undercover methods in its operations. Following the charges announcement, Higby characterized the prosecution as “lawfare” and contended no laws were broken, while also launching a fundraising effort for legal defense.
Some voter names used by the two men were those of deceased individuals, while others belonged to living voters, Moriarty said. One voter whose name was used actually cast a ballot in the primary and was reportedly surprised by the incident. County Attorney Moriarty stated that journalists operating in polling places cannot conduct undercover investigations without identifying themselves as media representatives.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon released a statement emphasizing the importance of maintaining polling places as secure environments. O’Keefe and Higby have characterized their work as investigative journalism utilizing undercover methods. Moriarty indicated that the charging decision was not influenced by the individuals’ political views or their apparent intent in creating the video content.
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