Right-wing influencers charged with felony voting violations in Minnesota primary
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James O’Keefe and Cam Higby were indicted on felony counts of unlawful voting and identity theft after attempting to vote using other voters' identities while disguised in “Muslim garb” at Minneapolis polling places.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Wednesday that James O’Keefe and Cam Higby face felony charges for unlawful voting and identity theft after they entered multiple Minnesota polling locations during the August primary and claimed to be registered local voters. The two men, identified as right-wing influencers, attempted to exploit the state’s “vouching” system, which allows a registered voter to certify another voter’s eligibility, by presenting themselves in what they described as “Muslim garb” and using the names of actual voters without their knowledge.
Moriarty said the defendants did not sign the required affidavits that vouchers must file under penalty of perjury, and that some of the names they used belonged to deceased individuals while others were alive and, in at least one case, had already voted in the primary. “If you identify as a journalist, there is no such thing as undercover investigation in the polling place. You have to identify yourself as a journalist in the polling place, which they did not do,” she said at the press conference.
Minnesota law permits vouching but it is rarely used; less than 0.6 % of votes in the 2024 general election were cast through the process, according to the secretary of state’s website. Vouchers must personally know the voter they are vouching for and sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury.
O’Keefe, founder of Project Veritas, and Higby have described their actions as investigative journalism. After the charges were announced, Higby posted on X, calling the prosecution “lawfare” and claiming no laws were broken while linking to a fundraiser for legal costs.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said the state’s high voter turnout depends on keeping polling places “islands of calm” and warned that attempts to deceive election workers would not be tolerated.