US Conservative Activists Charged with Unlawful Voting in Election Stunt
James O'Keefe and Cam Higby face charges after using the names of registered voters, some deceased, to enter polling places.
James O'Keefe and Cam Higby have been charged with unlawful voting and identity theft in Minnesota, according to multiple credible sources. The charges stem from an incident in August where the two individuals used the names of registered voters—some of whom were deceased—to enter polling places without consent. The case was announced by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, and the charges were filed in Minnesota.
O'Keefe, founder of the right-wing activist group Project Veritas, and Higby, a 26-year-old political commentator and YouTuber with 285,000 subscribers, reportedly wore costumes and used fake accents during the incident. In their video, O'Keefe referred to Higby as his wife when interacting with poll workers. Minnesota law allows registered voters to vouch for the identity and address of up to eight people, though less than 0.6% of votes in the November 2024 election used this process.
The overall confidence in the reported facts is 85%, with key details such as the charges, location, and identities of the individuals confirmed by multiple sources.
Verification report
High confidence — probability of truth 86%, weighted across 12 claims from 5 independent outlets.
- confirmed James O'Keefe and Cam Higby were charged with unlawful voting and identity theft. (97%)
- confirmed The charges were filed in Minnesota. (97%)
- confirmed O'Keefe and Higby used the names of registered voters to enter polling places without their knowledge or permission. (94%)
- confirmed Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced the charges. (85%)
- likely O'Keefe and Higby used the names of deceased voters. (71%)
- confirmed The incident occurred in August. (97%)
- confirmed O'Keefe and Higby wore costumes and used fake accents in their video. (87%)
- confirmed Cam Higby is a 26-year-old political commentator and YouTuber with 285,000 subscribers. (87%)
- likely Minnesota law permits registered voters to vouch for the identity and address of up to eight people. (73%)
- likely O'Keefe is the founder of Project Veritas, a right-wing activist group and media company. (73%)
- likely O'Keefe referred to Higby as his wife when talking to poll workers. (71%)
- likely Less than 0.6% of votes cast in the November 2024 election used the vouching process. (71%)
Sources
- BBC US & Canada — US conservative activists charged with unlawful voting in election stunt
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c52e9vnege7eo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss - NYT U.S. — Right-Wing Provocateur James O’Keefe Charged in Minnesota Voting Stunt
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/28/us/james-okeefe-charged-minnesota-voting-cam-higby.html - ABC News U.S. — Conservative activists O'Keefe, Higby charged with unlawful voting in Minnesota
https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/conservative-activists-okeefe-higby-charged-unlawful-voting-minnesota-137653567 - The Hill Courts — Right-wing activist James O'Keefe charged with unlawful voting, identity theft
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/6178839-james-okeefe-voter-fraud-charges/ - NBC News — Conservative influencer James O’Keefe charged with unlawful voting and identity theft in Minnesota
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/james-okeefe-minnesota-unlawful-voting-identity-theft-charges-rcna606142