Undercover Video Sparks Legal Concerns in Minnesota Voting Law

An undercover video has placed several activists at risk of legal trouble after they posed as Minnesota voters during a primary election. These individuals were part of a group formerly known as Project Veritas. They attempted to test Minnesota’s 53-year-old voter voucher law. The videos, which have been viewed over seven million times, suggest the activists may have violated the law.

The video features members of a Florida group, now called Citizen Justice League. They appeared in what they described as Muslim costumes, spoke with fake accents, and falsely claimed to be Minnesota voters vouching for others. Minnesota’s voucher law is designed to assist new residents in voting. It allows a registered voter to vouch for the residency of someone else, but impersonation of registered voters is prohibited.

In the video, a man falsely claimed the identity of William Pomeranz when speaking with election officials. CBS News Minnesota spoke with the real William Pomeranz, who received unusual messages on Election Day. “A student showed me what was online about my identity being misrepresented. It was quite a shock. I learned about this on Friday,” said Pomeranz.

The activists did not attempt to vote illegally. Pomeranz praised the poll workers, stating, “They reported the incident, and I was able to vote that evening without any issues. The voting process worked as intended.”

The man who impersonated Pomeranz is James O’Keefe. He now faces potential legal issues. According to David Schultz, a constitutional law professor at Hamline University, “Impersonating another voter in Minnesota is illegal, and O’Keefe seems to have done just that.” Both Schultz and Steve Simon, Minnesota’s Secretary of State, confirm the video demonstrates a violation of the law. Simon remarked, “The law prohibits impersonating another registered voter, and that’s what they appear to be doing in the video.”

Impersonating a Minnesota voter at a polling place is a felony, punishable by up to seven years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Project Veritas is known for undercover recordings targeting news outlets, unions, and groups aligned with Democrats. Critics argue these videos often lack context. The group’s founder, James O’Keefe, left the organization in 2023 due to financial misconduct allegations.

CBS News Minnesota contacted both Project Veritas and the Citizen Justice League but has not yet received a response.