An undercover video might lead to legal trouble for several activists involved in impersonating Minnesota voters during a primary election. The activists, members of the Citizen Justice League, formerly known as Project Veritas, claimed to test Minnesota’s voter voucher law. Their video, viewed over 7 million times, suggests they may have violated this law.
The footage shows the Florida-based group members dressed in what they described as Muslim costumes, using fake accents while purporting to be Minnesota voters. Minnesota’s voucher law aims to assist newcomers to the state in voting by allowing a registered voter to vouch for their residence, but impersonation of real voters is a violation.
The video records a man identifying himself to officials as William Pomeranz, a false identification. CBS News Minnesota interviewed the real William Pomeranz, who received peculiar messages on Election Day. He recounted a student informing him about the misuse of his identity, which shocked him. Despite the incident, Pomeranz expressed satisfaction with the voting process, managing to vote without issues later that evening.
The impersonator, identified as James O’Keefe, might face legal consequences. According to David Schultz, a constitutional law professor at Hamline University, impersonating another voter in Minnesota is illegal. O’Keefe’s actions as depicted in the video indicate possible legal infractions.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon concurs, noting that the video illustrates the violation. Impersonating a voter in Minnesota is a felony, with penalties up to seven years in prison and fines reaching $20,000.
Project Veritas is a conservative group known for secret recordings targeting various entities, often leading to allegations of context stripping. The group faced leadership changes in 2023 when its founder, James O’Keefe, departed due to financial misconduct accusations.
CBS News Minnesota contacted both Project Veritas and the Citizen Justice League for comments but has yet to receive responses.
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