Minnesota’s Vouching Law – No ID Required?

Imagine being able to participate in one of the most sacred duties of citizenship – voting – simply by getting some other registered voter to vouch for you. Got a good friend who’s “sure” you’re eligible, whether you really are or not? How about someone willing to lie? Well, based on one undercover journalist's findings, that’s good enough in Minnesota, and it has been for a long time thanks to its vouching law.

Vouching Law Exposes Potential Voter Fraud

Political activist James O’Keefe brought to light Minnesota’s vouching law in a video that showed just how easy it is to get unregistered voters registered. O'Keefe found that no ID or any other kind of proof of identity was required, even though the vouching law is only supposed to be used to verify a voter's address. In O'Keefe's experience, the voter registration process was simple: a voucher just has to say he personally knows, lives in the same precinct as, and can verify the address of a potential voter. It’s easy, it’s abusable, and it has been the law for many years.

"Insane" is how Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) put it when he shared the video on X.

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O’Keefe made a name for himself as an undercover journalist and – in his own words – has been sued “more times than I can count.” Along with Cam Higby, he dressed up in Muslim attire and visited Minneapolis polling places on primary day, August 11. In the video, O’Keefe asked about the vouching law, and was told by one of the election workers: “If you’re all in the same precinct and you are already registered, you can vouch for them as ID. Eight people.”

And then he asked: “And no ID needed. I just vouch for them.”

The poll worker confirmed by explaining: “Well, you’re the ID.”

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins expressed his concern and surprise on X: “This is crazy…and is a situation ripe for election fraud. In Missouri, we require a photo ID to vote, we banned ballot drop boxes, the vast majority of mail-in ballots are required to be notarized and we don’t have the ‘vouching’ system like they have in Minnesota.”

As politicians debate the SAVE Act and how – or whether – to enforce voter ID laws, Minnesota's vouching system exposes a potential weak spot in North Star State elections. “Minnesota unintentionally makes a compelling case for the SAVE Act,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) posted on X. “This is freaking nuts.”

Breaking the Law?

America First Legal (AFL) reported earlier this year that, in 2024, 18,898 people used vouching to either update their voter registration or to get registered in the state. “Minnesota’s voter registration rolls contain significant numbers of individuals registered at addresses where they do not actually reside,” the law firm wrote in a pre-litigation notice sent to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon. “This is reflected in the disproportionately high rates of undeliverable postal verification cards associated with vouched registrations, the elevated rates at which vouched voters are placed in challenged status, and failures identified through post-election verification reports.”

“Minnesota’s vouching system turns Election Day into an honor-system free-for-all,” James K. Rogers, senior counsel at America First Legal, told the press. “It undermines election integrity by allowing unverified and potentially unlawful registrations that cannot be remedied after ballots are counted. This system violates federal law, which requires states to make reasonable efforts to maintain accurate voter rolls and to administer programs uniformly and without discrimination.”

AFL said it plans to file a lawsuit if Minnesota doesn’t correct the “legal deficiencies” in its vouching system.

Secretary Simon, however, claims O’Keefe and Higby may have gotten themselves in legal trouble. “Their apparent goal was to cast doubt on one or more Minnesota election laws that have been in force for over fifty years," Simon said in a statement. "Instead, they revealed their ignorance of how those laws actually work— while putting themselves in legal jeopardy.”

The vouching law has been in place for more than half a century, and Simon says the process is very rare. “In the 2024 general election, less than 0.6% of votes cast used this process,” Simon's office explained in a press release. “Around 71% of those voters were already registered to vote but needed to update their name or address in their voter record.” Simon's office said the vouching system is commonly used in senior living facilities by residents who haven’t updated their information to reflect their current residence.

“Vouching can only be used to provide proof of a potential voter’s residence in the precinct,” his office continued. "The potential voter must still provide their Minnesota driver’s license or ID card number or the last four digits of their Social Security number for identity verification."

If voters must still provide ID even when a voucher verifies an address, then did the poll workers O'Keefe encountered violate Minnesota election law? Voting is one of the most important rights Americans have, and protecting that right also means making sure every legal vote belongs to a qualified voter. Supporters may argue that vouching simply helps an eligible voter confirm his address, but when something as consequential as an election is at stake, “trust me, I know this person” seems like a low bar for verification.