CAUGHT INSIDE MINNEAPOLIS POLLING BOOTHS: Minnesota Poll Workers Tell O’Keefe, Dressed in Muslim Garb, & Cam Higby, in a Burka, That They Can Vouch for Eight Unregistered Voters Without ID, Allowing Them to Vote in Minnesota Primary ElectionAugust 13, 2026
INSIDE MINNESOTA POLL BOOTHS: 'Vouching' For Eight Unregisters Voters & No ID Needed
CAUGHT INSIDE MINNEAPOLIS POLLING BOOTHS: Minnesota Poll Workers Tell O’Keefe, Dressed in Muslim Garb, & Cam Higby, in a Burka, That They Can Vouch for Eight Unregistered Voters Without ID, Allowing Them to Vote in Minnesota Primary Election
Election worker says, “You’re the ID,” referring to the registered voter serving as identification for the people they are vouching for.
Election worker confirms O’Keefe’s question about unregistered voters being vouched for: “I can vouch for them. They are not registered… That’s okay. That’s fine. Yeah!”
Election worker explains that a registered voter in the same precinct can vouch for up to eight people: “If you’re all in the same precinct and you are already registered, you can vouch for them as ID. Eight people.”
James O’Keefe went undercover in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Primary Election Day with Anthony Rubin, founder of muckracker.com, and Cam Higby, members of the Justice League and OMG undercover journalists, to put Minnesota’s voter “vouching” system to the test.
Under Minnesota Statutes § 201.061, a registered voter can sign an affidavit affirming that they know another individual resides in the same precinct, allowing that person to register at the polls without presenting standard proof of residence. One registered voter can vouch for up to eight people.
O’Keefe and the team wanted to find out what this actually looks like inside a polling place and how far election workers would let them take it.
Disguised in traditional Muslim attire, O’Keefe and members of the team entered polling locations across Minneapolis and presented an intentionally extreme scenario to expose what they see as the sheer lunacy of Minnesota’s “vouching” system. O’Keefe told workers that the people accompanying him were unregistered and repeatedly pressed them about identification, how many people he could bring in, and what would be required for them to register.
Again and again, workers explained the vouching process to the team.
At one location, after O’Keefe made clear that the people with him were not registered, a worker told him he could vouch for as many as eight people. O’Keefe told the worker he would leave, get additional people, and return. The worker explained that because O’Keefe was already registered, he could serve as the voucher.
At another location, a poll worker explained that if everyone was in the same precinct and O’Keefe was already registered there, he could vouch for their residency.
When O’Keefe pressed her about identification, she put it plainly: “You’re the ID.”
At another polling location, a worker explained that a voucher must personally know the individuals and know that they live within the precinct. The worker also explained that the voucher signs a legal oath affirming their residency, while the individuals being vouched for sign an oath affirming their own identity and eligibility to vote.
O’Keefe asked whether their eligibility was actually verified. “After the fact, yeah,” the worker responded.
The team wanted to put the process to an extreme real-world test and document what election workers would tell them when confronted with the scenario firsthand. The purpose wasn’t simply to ask what Minnesota law says on paper.
Not every worker reacted the same way.
Some became suspicious of the team and challenged what they were doing. But across the locations captured in the investigation, OMG documented workers explaining how Minnesota’s vouching process could be used to establish residency for people registering at the polls without standard identification.
The investigation is part of an ongoing Justice League series, with additional follow-up reporting from AnthonyRubin, founder of muckracker.com, and Cam Higby coming soon.
If you’ve witnessed fraud in your community or have information, email tips@okeefemediagroup.com or message OMG securely on Signal: 914-491-9395.
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https://youtu.be/eUux9ddXqV8