Wisconsin Election Fraud Activist Convicted for Ballot Scheme

A Wisconsin jury found Harry Wait guilty of election fraud and identity theft for illegally requesting ballots belonging to two politicians without permission. The 71-year-old activist claimed he was testing the voting system's security, but faces up to six years in prison.

A Wisconsin jury has delivered a guilty verdict against an election activist who illegally obtained ballots belonging to two prominent politicians in what he claimed was a test of voting system security.

Harry Wait, 71, was convicted Tuesday in Racine County on charges of election fraud and identity theft after a two-day trial. The jury found him guilty on two misdemeanor election fraud counts and one felony identity theft charge, while clearing him on a second identity theft count.

The charges stemmed from Wait’s unauthorized requests for ballots belonging to Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic Racine Mayor Cory Mason. Wait heads an organization that promotes debunked claims about election integrity, including false assertions that Wisconsin’s elections contain widespread fraud and that Donald Trump actually won the 2020 presidential race in the state. Official results showed Trump lost Wisconsin by approximately 21,000 votes.

In 2022, Wait publicly acknowledged requesting the politicians’ ballots as part of his effort to demonstrate weaknesses in Wisconsin’s voter registration procedures. Speaking to The Associated Press at that time, Wait expressed no surprise about facing criminal charges.

“You got to expect to pay some costs sometimes when you are trying to work for the public good,” he said.

Wait’s actions received support from Republican Senator Ron Johnson, who praised him in 2022 as a “white hat hacker.”

Following Tuesday’s verdict, Wait remained defiant in comments to WTMJ, stating he “would do it again.”

“I tested the system and the system failed,” he said.

The court has not yet scheduled Wait’s sentencing hearing. His defense attorney Joe Bugni has not responded to requests for comment about potential appeals.

Wait could receive up to six years in prison for the felony conviction, plus up to one year in jail for each misdemeanor count.

This case follows a similar 2024 conviction of former Milwaukee election worker Kimberly Zapata, who was found guilty of misconduct after obtaining three military absentee ballots using fraudulent names and Social Security numbers in 2022. Zapata also claimed she was attempting to reveal flaws in the election system and received a $3,000 fine and one year of probation.