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Two conservative activists who filmed a stunt undercover at a polling place in Minnesota have been charged with illegal voting and identity theft, prosecutors said.
James Edward O’Keefe and Cam Higby are accused of trying to sow doubt in the state’s voting systems after they shared a video showing them wearing Islamic clothing and using fake accents while interacting with poll workers.
Prosecutors allege the couple misrepresented their identities by giving election judges the names of registered voters in the area without those voters’ knowledge or permission.
Higby told the BBC he was trying to expose “weaknesses” in the electoral system and claimed the state was now trying to take away his right to vote.
“This investigation was conducted to uncover vulnerabilities in Minnesota’s voting system, which affects all Americans,” said Higby, a 26-year-old political commentator.
“I never voted, I never signed an affidavit, and I never broke any law,” he continued. “To show how Minnesota abuses votes, they’re trying to take mine away from me permanently.”
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office confirmed that neither man signed the required oath to confirm their address. But prosecutors said both men “knowingly” misrepresented their identities when applying for ballots.
Illegal voting and identity theft are felony charges.
In the recorded August incident, prosecutors tried to highlight a Minnesota law, external which allows registered voters to provide the identity and address of up to eight people.
The law is intended to help people who have recently moved to the state to vote — not to impersonate other registered voters.
At the time, Higby captioned the video: “I dressed as a Muslim woman and Minneapolis poll workers were willing to allow me and an army of other foreigners to vote fraudulently without verifying who any of us are.”
State law provides that no individual may intentionally misrepresent their identity in order to apply for a ballot, deposit a ballot in a ballot box, or attempt to vote using a voting machine or electronic voting system.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, the state’s chief election official, said in a statement Wednesday that “any attempt to interfere or mislead our election workers will not be tolerated.”
He added: “Polling places are the heart of our democracy and should be places of safety and peace.”
It was not immediately clear when O’Keefe and Higby would be arraigned.
The BBC has contacted O’Keefe for comment.
O’Keefe, 42, is the founder of Project Veritas, a right-wing activist group and media company that seeks to investigate and expose corruption. The group is known to produce secretly recorded encounters. After being fired from Project Veritas, he founded the O’Keefe Media Group.
