SMFNews: Activists Charged Over Poll Stunt in ‘Muslim’ Disguise
MINNEAPOLIS — Prosecutors in Hennepin County, Minnesota, on Oct. 28 charged two activists with felonies over a video stunt in which they visited Minneapolis polling places during the state’s Aug. 11 primary wearing burqas and using accents, and gave election judges the names of real registered voters, MPR News and Reuters reported.
James O’Keefe, 42, and Cameron “Cam” Higby, 26, each face two felony counts: identity theft and unlawful voting by misrepresenting their identity while applying for a ballot, according to the criminal complaint and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. An initial court appearance has been set for Nov. 16. Muslim civil rights advocates, who had called for an investigation in August, said the stunt relied on anti-Muslim stereotypes.
What prosecutors say happened
According to the complaint, the two men and others working with them entered several Minneapolis polling places with hidden cameras “while donning costumes and modifying their voices to obscure their identities,” and later posted the videos online. Videos posted by O’Keefe’s operation show them wearing burqas outside precincts, MPR News reported, and Reuters reported that Higby posed as a woman in a face-concealing burqa.
Prosecutors say the men gave election judges the names and addresses of registered voters who had not given permission to use their identities, then asked questions about Minnesota’s vouching process before leaving. County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the names used included some residents who had died and at least one person who had voted, according to MPR News. Neither man signed the oath required to vouch for another voter, MPR News reported.
“I think it’s pretty clear they did not intend to vote. That’s not the question here,” Moriarty said as she announced the charges, according to MPR News. Moriarty also told reporters that being performative or offensive is not against the law.
MPR News reported that state court records show the specific election charges filed in the case have been used only once since 2021.
Muslim advocates: stereotypes used as props
Days after the videos appeared in August, the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) called for a criminal investigation. “Using fake Muslim identities, accents and religious stereotypes as part of a political stunt is not a harmless prank or political stunt,” CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said at the time. “Falsely impersonating a real voter, and using anti-Muslim stereotypes to do it, is not an acceptable substitute for legitimate civic oversight.”
After the charges were announced, the group welcomed the decision as a necessary step toward accountability.
What the defendants say
In an August press release, O’Keefe’s group, which calls itself the “Justice League,” said the people in the video “did not cast ballots” and that the effort “was intended to test the limits of Minnesota’s vouching law and document how election workers apply it on Election Day,” MPR News reported. After the charges were filed, Higby denied breaking any state laws and said on social media that Minnesota officials wanted to imprison him “for exposing election vulnerabilities in their state.” O’Keefe is known for making undercover videos, MPR News reported.
How vouching works
Minnesota allows people who are not yet registered to register at the polls on Election Day. One way to prove residence is vouching: a voter already registered in the precinct goes with the new voter and signs an oath confirming that person’s address. A registered voter can vouch for up to eight people, MPR News reported.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon has said the poll workers did exactly what they were supposed to do to protect the integrity of the election. “Any attempt to disrupt or deceive our election workers will not be tolerated,” Simon said after the charges were announced. “We are grateful to our law enforcement partners for holding these individuals to account.”
Why it matters
The charges come days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, as Muslim advocacy groups warn about intimidation at the polls. The Muslim Public Affairs Council has published a report and voter resources on election security, voter intimidation and the safety of American Muslim communities, and Muslim voters in Lewiston, Maine, have complained that they were filmed and followed while voting early.
For Muslim voters, the case draws a line that prosecutors spelled out: an offensive costume alone is not a crime, but using another voter’s identity at the polls is being charged as a felony. The allegations have not been proven in court, and Minnesota election officials say poll workers did what they were supposed to do.
Sources: Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (Oct. 28, 2026); criminal complaint, State of Minnesota v. O’Keefe; MPR News (Oct. 28, 2026); Reuters via Minnesota Lawyer (Oct. 28, 2026); The Guardian (Oct. 28, 2026); KSTP (Oct. 28, 2026); CAIR-MN (Oct. 28, 2026); CAIR-MN (Aug. 18, 2026); Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Comments