“Hennepin County prosecutors on Wednesday said they charged conservative provocateur James O’Keefe and another man with felonies for unlawful voting and identity theft for filming themselves misrepresenting their identities to election judges during the Minnesota Aug. 11 primary.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said they were alerted by the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office that James O’Keefe, Cameron Higby and others were trying to undermine the state’s vouching system.
Videos posted by O’Keefe’s operation show them wearing burkas outside precincts during the primary. Moriarty said the voter names they used included some residents who were dead and at least one who voted.
In the videos, O’Keefe, using an accent, asks workers at polling places if he can vouch for other voters. The election workers explain the law around vouching as one of his team members films and then his team walks out.
“Alright guys, it’s Election Day in Minneapolis. James O’Keefe and I are going to go around the city to different polling stations and we’re going to see if they’re going to allow us to vote without IDs and then we’re going to see if they are going to allow us to vouch for other people who aren’t even registered to vote,” Higby said in the video posted to YouTube.”
“Secretary of State Steve Simon later said the poll workers did exactly what they were supposed to do to protect the integrity of the election.”
James Edward O’Keefe, 42, and Cam Higby, 26, both face felony charges of unlawful voting and identity theft.
Polling places are the heart of our democracy. Any attempt to disrupt or deceive our election workers will not be tolerated.
Watch: https://t.co/LH1Q5m224J pic.twitter.com/NMPizpONcN
— Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty (@HennepinAtty) October 28, 2026
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