Conservative activists James O'Keefe and Cam Higby were charged with unlawful voting and identity theft following an August 11 primary election stunt. The operation specifically aimed to expose perceived flaws in Minnesota's vouching system, which allows registered voters to verify an unregistered person's address on Election Day. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty emphasized that providing false identities to obtain ballots violates state law even without the intent to cast them. In their defense, the activists maintained that no ballots were ever cast and that they never signed false vouching oaths.
Key points
Hennepin County prosecutors affirmed that intentionally providing false identities to req…: Hennepin County prosecutors affirmed that intentionally providing false identities to request election ballots remains illegal regardless of intent.
The activists defended the filmed operation as an undercover investigation aimed at testi…: The activists defended the filmed operation as an undercover investigation aimed at testing election safeguards rather than committing fraud.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon asserted that local election workers adhered to…: Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon asserted that local election workers adhered to proper voting procedures throughout the incident.
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Two conservative activists in Minnesota are facing felony charges after an undercover exercise at polling stations during the August 11 primary election. James O'Keefe and Cam Higby visited several polling stations and used the names of registered voters while asking for ballots. They filmed the exercise to test the state's election rules and later shared the videos online. Although neither man actually voted, Hennepin County prosecutors charged them with unlawful voting and identity theft on Wednesday.
O'Keefe and Higby maintain that they were conducting an investigation, not trying to cast illegal votes. Prosecutors, however, say their actions went beyond testing the rules because they used other people's identities without permission.
According to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, the two men gave election workers names belonging to voters registered at the polling stations they visited. Some of those names belonged to people who had died, while at least one belonged to someone who had already voted, MPR News reported.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the absence of an actual vote did not change the allegations. "I think it’s pretty clear…
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