Conservative activists James O’Keefe and Cam Higby are facing felony charges after wearing Muslim clothing in a filmed effort to test Minnesota’s voting procedures, which they described as “lunacy.”
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty charged O’Keefe, 42, and Higby, 26, on Wednesday with unlawful voting and identity theft over a political stunt carried out on August 11.
During Minnesota’s primary election, the pair recorded themselves entering polling places in head-to-toe Muslim clothing. They said the exercise was intended to highlight what they called the “sheer lunacy” of the state’s election procedures.
Their focus was Minnesota’s “vouching” system, which allows a registered voter to confirm the identities of as many as eight other people. Those voters can then cast ballots without presenting identification.
Videos of the activists’ attempt to test the system drew millions of views across social media.
Moriarty said the men broke election laws by deliberately “misrepresenting their identity when they applied for a ballot.”
At a news conference, Moriarty acknowledged that neither man cast a ballot and that they “stopped short of signing the oath we all sign before receiving our ballot.” She nevertheless said their conduct violated Minnesota’s voting laws.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon called the operation “outrageous,” adding: “We have zero tolerance for lying, lawbreaking, and disruptions at our polling places.”
Conservative activists James O’Keefe and Cam Higby face felony charges after wearing Muslim clothing while testing Minnesota’s voting procedures
Conservative influencer James O’Keefe said the operation was designed to expose what he called the “sheer lunacy” of Minnesota’s voting system
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty filed charges against the two men on Wednesday. She has previously been dubbed “America’s wokest prosecutor” by critics of her criminal justice policies
Minnesota’s vouching provision is intended to help people who have recently moved cast ballots in a precinct where they have not yet completed registration.
Supporters say the process helps prevent eligible voters from being disenfranchised, while critics argue that it could create an opportunity for election fraud.
O’Keefe, who founded Project Veritas, appears in the videos wearing white Muslim clothing as he approaches poll workers and asks whether he can vouch for people who are not registered.
In one exchange, O’Keefe adopted a Middle Eastern accent and asked: “I want to vouch… They are not registered, is that ok?”
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“That’s ok, that’s fine,” the poll worker replied.
In another exchange, O’Keefe asked a poll worker to explain the vouching process. She responded: “Well, if you’re all in the same precinct, and you are already registered, then you can vouch for them as ID for them.”
“You are the ID,” she added.
Higby darkened his skin with makeup and wore a full-length burqa that covered his face during the stunt. In one part of the video, O’Keefe joked that Higby looked like “a transgender.”
The videos show O’Keefe and Higby speaking with poll workers while posing as Muslim migrants
Higby (pictured) and O’Keefe are each facing felony charges of unlawful voting and identity theft
Higby dressed in a full burqa during the stunt
Higby and O’Keefe are facing felony charges of unlawful voting and identity theft, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
At a press conference on Wednesday announcing the charges, Moriarty accused the conservative activists of attempting to meddle in the state’s elections and undermine confidence in the results.
‘Free and fair elections are the bedrock of democracy, and their protection is one of our highest priorities,’ Moriarty said.
The prosecutor said authorities tracked down the names that O’Keefe and Higby gave to poll workers, which she said included the names of deceased voters. Asked where they obtained the names, Moriarty said: ‘We don’t know that.’
O’Keefe and his attorneys have not yet responded to the charges, but Higby quickly spoke out on Wednesday to plead his innocence.
‘I never voted, I never signed an affidavit, and I never violated a law,’ Higby said in a statement.
‘For showing how Minnesota abuses votes, they seek to take mine away from me permanently.’