Minnesota prosecutor charges O'Keefe and Higby with election fraud

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty filed felony charges against James O'Keefe and Cam Higby on Wednesday. The charges allege unlawful voting and identity theft related to activities at polling places during the August 11 primary election.

Moriarty stated that the two men entered precincts and provided the names of registered voters to election staff. The voters had not granted permission for their names to be used, and many were unaware of the activity. The pair utilized a state process called vouching, which allows registered voters in the same precinct to verify up to eight other voters. Staff at residential facilities may also vouch for residents under this rule.

According to Moriarty, the men did not sign the official oath required to receive a ballot. However, Minnesota law prohibits individuals from intentionally misrepresenting their identity when applying for a ballot. O'Keefe and Higby disguised themselves and recorded their visits with hidden cameras. They posted the footage on social media in August. In a post on X, O'Keefe wrote that they wore Muslim garb, including a niqab, to expose the vouching system.

The office of Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon alerted the county attorney's office to the incident. Police subsequently interviewed the registered voters whose names were used. Moriarty confirmed that the names of deceased voters were also included in the list. She said her office does not know how the men obtained the names. The two men are not in custody and will receive a summons to appear in court.

Simon said the men's goal was to cast doubt on election laws that have been in place for more than 50 years. He argued that the pair revealed their ignorance of how the laws function while exposing themselves to legal trouble. Simon stated that his office has zero tolerance for lying and disruptions at polling places. Neither O'Keefe nor Higby responded to requests for comment immediately.

O'Keefe previously faced controversy in 2024 when he and Project Veritas settled a lawsuit with a Pennsylvania postmaster. The group had promoted a postal worker's false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election. O'Keefe was removed as head of Project Veritas in 2023. Higby formerly worked as a journalist for conservative media outlets and now runs a YouTube account with 285,000 subscribers.