O'Keefe and Higby Face Felony Charges Over Minnesota Polling Stunt

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty charged James O'Keefe, 42, founder of Project Veritas, and Cam Higby, 26, on Oct. 28, 2026, with felony unlawful voting and identity theft over their Aug. 11 Minnesota primary stunt. Each charge carries up to five years in prison. The men entered polling places in disguise—Higby with darkened skin and a full-length burqa, O'Keefe in white Muslim-style clothing and a fake Middle Eastern accent—filmed workers on the vouching process that lets a registered voter vouch for up to eight others without ID, and stopped before signing the oath. No fraudulent votes were cast. In one exchange O'Keefe asked if he could vouch for unregistered people; a worker said that was fine and that a registered voter is the ID. Moriarty said misrepresenting identity while applying for a ballot can violate law regardless of intent, free and fair elections are the bedrock of democracy, names used included deceased voters of unknown origin, and the timing less than a week before the Nov. 3 midterm was coincidental. She said vouching was 0.6 percent of 2024 votes. Higby said he never voted, never signed an affidavit, and never violated a law, and that for showing how Minnesota abuses votes they seek to take his away permanently. Secretary of State Steve Simon called the scheme outrageous and said officials have zero tolerance for lying, lawbreaking, and disruptions at polling places. The men were due in court in November.