Another worker confirmed that O’Keefe could vouch for people who were not registered: “I can vouch for them. They are not registered… That’s okay. That’s fine. Yeah!”
James O’Keefe is exposing Minnesota’s controversial voter “vouching” system in a new undercover investigation showing election workers explaining how registered voters can vouch for multiple unregistered people at polling locations.
O’Keefe released an 11-minute video on Wednesday detailing the operation, which was conducted with Anthony Rubin of Real Muckraker and Cam Higby as part of the Justice League investigation. The undercover team visited polling locations in Minneapolis while O’Keefe wore traditional Muslim attire and presented workers with a deliberately extreme scenario involving multiple people who were supposedly unregistered.
https://twitter.com/jamesokeefeiii/status/2087950683831931327?s=12&t=Zo0EXNCUug3mzjxcIQ0-cw
At one polling location, an election worker told O’Keefe that a registered voter could vouch for up to eight people in the same precinct. “If you’re all in the same precinct and you are already registered, you can vouch for them as ID. Eight people.”
When O’Keefe pressed the worker about identification, she responded, “You’re the ID.” Another worker confirmed that O’Keefe could vouch for people who were not registered. “I can vouch for them. They are not registered… That’s okay. That’s fine. Yeah!”
The investigation focused on Minnesota Statutes § 201.061, which allows a registered voter to sign an affidavit affirming that another individual resides in the same precinct. The procedure can allow someone to register at the polls without providing standard proof of residence.
At the White Park Recreation Center, a worker explained that a person acting as a voucher must personally know those they are vouching for and know that they live in the precinct. The voucher signs an oath affirming their residency, while the individual being vouched for signs an oath affirming their identity and eligibility to vote.
O’Keefe then asked whether that eligibility was verified. “After the fact, yeah,” the worker responded.
The video shows that not every election worker responded in the same enthusiastic way, as some reportedly became suspicious of the undercover team and questioned what they were doing.
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