(Headline USA) Conservative activists James O’Keefe and Cam Higby were charged Wednesday with unlawful voting and identity theft after a they captured video footage of what they say are vulnerabilities in the state’s voting laws.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced the felony charges at a news conference. She said O’Keefe, 42, of West Palm Beach, Florida, and Higby, 26, of Covington, Washington, wore costumes and used the names of registered state voters while starting the “vouching” process in the Aug. 11 primary. The process provides a way for voters who lack proof of their current address to register and vote in their new precinct on the same day after a voter already registered in that precinct “vouches” for them—a process that critics like O’Keefe say is ripe for fraud.
James O’Keefe on the Felony Charges for Exposing Fraud in Minnesota:
This is not political. It is fundamental. It is about whether citizens still have the right to question their government. This is now a landmark First Amendment case, and every American’s right to speak truth… pic.twitter.com/vBbkaW0Rk4
— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) October 29, 2026
O’Keefe, who founded and later was ousted as leader of Project Veritas, came to notoriety by publishing undercover sting-style videos like the one made at the Minnesota polling places.
In a video and a written statement released Wednesday evening, O’Keefe said he and Higby had been acting as investigative journalists and that they never intended to complete the voucher process. He also said they were careful to say “the name is” rather than “my name is” when giving names to poll workers.
“In our report, we clearly stopped and walked out of the polling places to avoid even touching a voting ballot,” O’Keefe wrote. He later continued, “We didn’t apply for a ballot; we were there talking to election clerks, posing hypotheticals and getting answers so that Americans could know what was happening in the elections.”
Higby did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment and did not have an attorney in court records. Neither of them has had an opportunity to enter a plea.
Minnesota allows registered voters to “vouch” for another voter in the same precinct by signing an oath attesting to the second person’s identity and that they live in the precinct. The person being vouched for also must verify their identity and eligibility by providing their Minnesota driver’s license or identification card number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.
The process is rarely used but is most commonly done by older adults who have not updated their address on a driver’s license because they no longer drive. In the November 2024 election, fewer than 0.6% of votes cast used the process, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office website.
🚨🚨 “NO ID REQUIRED for you and your 8 friends”
I dressed as a Muslim woman and Minneapolis poll workers were prepared to allow me an an army of other foreigners fraudulently vote without verifying who any of us are.
Full video: https://t.co/iR5R27mrzO pic.twitter.com/KvPryesHfn
— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) August 14, 2026
Voter ID laws vary
Voter identification laws vary from state to state. Thirty-six states have laws requesting or requiring voters to show some form of identification at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, but that identification can range from a photo ID to things like a utility bill or bank statement.
In the remaining 14 states and Washington, D.C., voters can cast a ballot without showing ID. They must verify their identity in various other ways, like signing an affidavit or providing personal information like birth date, name or address.
Some states, like Minnesota, allow election officials or other registered voters to vouch for people without a current ID. Alaska and New Hampshire, for instance, allow officials like a clerk or a supervisor to verify a voter’s identity if they know the voter personally. North Dakota allows people who lack identification cards because of a disability to have an attester certify that they are a qualified voter. West Virginia allows an adult who has known a voter for at least six months to sign a sworn statement verifying the voter’s identity.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
