Conservative activists James O’Keefe and Cam Higby are facing felony charges after wearing Muslim clothing in a stunt aimed at testing Minnesota’s voting procedures, which they described as “lunacy.”
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty charged the two influencers, aged 42 and 26 respectively, on Wednesday with unlawful voting and identity theft over the political stunt carried out on August 11.
The pair filmed themselves entering polling locations during Minnesota’s primary election while dressed in full-length Muslim clothing. They said the operation was intended to expose what O’Keefe called the “sheer lunacy” of the state’s election system.
Their focus was Minnesota’s “vouching” procedure, under which a registered voter can vouch for the identities of up to eight other people. Those voters may then cast ballots without presenting identification.
Videos of the conservative activists attempting to test the system attracted millions of views on social media.
Moriarty announced the charges on Wednesday, alleging that O’Keefe and Higby broke election laws by deliberately “misrepresenting their identity when they applied for a ballot.”
At a news conference, Moriarty acknowledged that neither man actually voted and that both “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 an “outrageous” scheme, 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, which they called “lunacy”
Conservative influencer James O’Keefe (pictured above) said the stunt was intended to expose the “sheer lunacy” of Minnesota’s voting system
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced 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 law is designed in part to help people who have recently moved to a district vote in a precinct where they have not yet registered.
Supporters say the process helps prevent eligible voters from being disenfranchised. Critics, however, argue that it creates an opportunity for election fraud.
In videos filmed during the operation, O’Keefe and Higby approached poll workers while posing as Muslim migrants and asked whether they could vouch for people who were not registered.
In one exchange, O’Keefe used a Middle Eastern accent and asked: “I want to vouch… They are not registered, is that ok?”
“That’s ok, that’s fine,” the poll worker replied.
In another exchange, O’Keefe asked a poll worker to explain how vouching worked. 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.
During the stunt, Higby used makeup to darken his skin and wore a full-length burqa that covered his face. At one point, O’Keefe joked that he looked like “a transgender.”
In their videos, O’Keefe and Higby showed themselves speaking with poll workers while posing as Muslim migrants
Higby, pictured, and O’Keefe each face felony charges of unlawful voting and identity theft
Higby wore a full burqa during the voting-system stunt
Higby and O’Keefe each face felony counts of unlawful voting and identity theft. Both offenses carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
At Wednesday’s news conference, Moriarty accused the conservative activists of trying to interfere with Minnesota’s elections and damage public confidence in the results.
“Free and fair elections are the bedrock of democracy, and their protection is one of our highest priorities,” Moriarty said.
O’Keefe and his attorneys had not responded to the charges by Wednesday. Higby, however, issued a statement denying wrongdoing.
“I never voted, I never signed an affidavit, and I never violated a law,” Higby said.
“For showing how Minnesota abuses votes, they seek to take mine away from me permanently.”
