Two conservative activists in Minnesota are facing felony charges after an undercover exercise at polling stations during the August 11 primary election.
asserted
activists → face → election
James O'Keefe and Cam Higby visited several polling stations and used the names of registered voters while asking for ballots.
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O'Keefe → visit → ballots
They filmed the exercise to test the state's election rules and later shared the videos online.
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They → film → videos
Although neither man actually voted, Hennepin County prosecutors charged them with unlawful voting and identity theft on Wednesday.
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prosecutors → vote → Wednesday
O'Keefe and Higby maintain that they were conducting an investigation, not trying to cast illegal votes.
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they → maintain → votes
Prosecutors, however, say their actions went beyond testing the rules because they used other people's identities without permission.
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they → say → 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.
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they → accord → stations
Some of those names belonged to people who had died, while at least one belonged to someone who had already voted, MPR News reported.
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News → belong → someone
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the absence of an actual vote did not change the allegations.
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absence → say → allegations
"I think it’s pretty clear they did not intend to vote.
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they → think → ?
That’s not the question here," she told reporters on Wednesday, as quoted by MPR news.
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she → ’ → news
What were the two activists trying to prove?
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activists → try → What
The videos show the activists visiting polling stations in Minneapolis to examine how election workers check voters' identities and handle people seeking to register on Election Day.
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workers → show → Day
In one recording, Higby explained that they wanted to find out whether people could vote without showing identification.
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people → explain → identification
They also planned to see whether someone could help another person register without being registered to vote themselves.
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person → plan → ?
The exercise focused particularly on Minnesota's 'vouching system', which allows a registered voter to confirm the address of someone who wants to register on Election Day.
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who → focus → Day
O'Keefe was filmed asking election workers about this procedure while speaking in an accent.
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O'Keefe → film → accent
The workers explained how the system operated, and his team subsequently left the polling station.
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team → explain → station
Videos also showed members of the group wearing burqas outside polling stations.
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members → show → stations
The activists later presented the recordings as part of their investigation into possible weaknesses in Minnesota's voting system.
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activists → present → system
But state officials disputed the suggestion that the videos showed election workers failing to follow the rules.
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workers → dispute → rules
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said the workers had acted correctly and followed the required election procedures.
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workers → say → procedures
How Minnesota allows people to register?
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people → allow → ?
Unlike systems where voters must complete registration before election day, Minnesota offers several ways for eligible people to register when they arrive at a polling station.
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they → complete → station
One option is vouching. A person who is already registered in the same voting precinct can accompany an unregistered voter and confirm where that person lives.
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person → vouch → voter
The registered voter must sign an oath confirming the address.
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voter → register → address
Minnesota law allows one registered voter to vouch for up to eight people.
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voter → allow → people
O'Keefe and Higby were examining this arrangement because they wanted to see how election workers would respond when someone sought to use it.
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someone → examine → it
However, prosecutors say the law also makes it illegal to deliberately give a false identity while applying for a ballot.
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it → say → ballot
They argue that this restriction applies even when the person does not go on to vote.
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person → argue → ?
Neither activist signed the oath required for vouching.
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activist → sign → vouching
Moriarty said signing it falsely could have resulted in a separate felony perjury allegation.
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signing → say → allegation
Instead, the present charges concern the identities the men allegedly used while requesting ballots.
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men → concern → ballots
What O'Keefe and Higby say
O'Keefe's group, which describes itself as the "Justice League", defended the exercise in a statement issued in August.
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which → say → August
It said the participants "did not cast ballots.
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participants → say → ballots
The investigation was intended to test the limits of Minnesota’s vouching law and document how election workers apply it on Election Day."
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workers → intend → Day
Higby also rejected the allegations after prosecutors announced the charges.
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prosecutors → reject → charges
In a social media post seeking financial support, he accused Minnesota officials of trying to imprison him "for exposing election vulnerabilities in their state."
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he → seek → state
O'Keefe is known for producing undercover recordings.
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O'Keefe → know → recordings
His previous activities have also led to criminal charges.
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activities → lead → charges
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
