Investigative journalist James O’Keefe has put on traditional Muslim garb in Minnesota to test the state’s so-called ‘voter vouching programme’.
Under the odd practice, a registered voter can ‘vouch’ for up to eight people at a polling station. Those individuals can complete same-day registration on site, and cast their ballot in local, state, or federal elections—all without any requirement to show ID on the part of either the ‘voucher’ or the ‘vouchee’…
This practice has been in place in the North Star State since 1974, the passage of the Election Day Registration (EDR) Act by the state legislature.
Now, James O’Keefe decided to put that practice to the test.
He put on a white thawb, a traditional white garb for Muslim men, recruited his friend Cam Higby to put on a full burka along with some other people to help out with the stunt, and hit up some polling stations in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the state’s primary elections on 11 August.
It is unclear how O’Keefe even passed as a registered Minnesota voter under the names ‘William Pomerant’ and ‘Shimzu’, as he is currently not a resident of the state of Minnesota. Also, if he had to show actual proof of his identity at any point, his name should have alerted poll workers, as he has been a well-known political figure for years. Still, in the video footage he posted to his X page, he shows a female poll worker confirming that it ‘looks like’ his registration is fine in their system. The same worker also gave him permission to vouch for other potential voters.
Please note that O’Keefe appears to have never actually voted under his fake identities, he only used them to get confirmation from poll workers that he is allowed to vouch for up to eight people.
Defenders of the practice point out that those who vouch for other voters sign an oath under the threat of perjury that the new voters they brought are residents of their precinct. However, state authorities can simply not look into their claims.
Tracking the number of voters who were registered through the vouching process is hard to begin with. As O’Keefe says in his video, his fellow right-wing activist Scott Presler has asked for such a list from multiple cities in Minnesota, and has yet to receive any.
Who Is James O’Keefe?
James O’Keefe is an American investigative journalist from Westwood, New Jersey. He first gained national attention in 2009, for his undercover investigation into the community organization ACORN. He has been doing undercover investigations since.
O’Keefe founded the non-profit organization Project Veritas in 2010, where he served as the CEO and Chairman until he was ousted by the Board in February 2023. However, he founded the O’Keefe Media Group after having to leave Project Veritas, and has continued his signature hidden-camera work.
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