Wisconsin conservative activist Harry Wait, a 71-year-old-enough-to-know-better retired business consultant, became involved in reviewing election practices after Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden and believed it was rigged. Now, where have we heard that before?
Wait claimed he requested ballots under the identities of well-known local politicians four years ago to highlight vulnerabilities in the voting system. While prosecutors agreed that voter fraud had occurred, they concluded that Wait himself was the one responsible for it, The Washington Post reports.
A jury found Wait guilty on Tuesday of one felony identity theft charge and two misdemeanor election fraud charges, while clearing him of a second identity theft count. He could face up to seven years behind bars.
The conviction comes at a time when Trump and his political allies are pushing hard on the alleged issue of election integrity, urging Senate Republicans to bypass the filibuster and pass laws mandating citizenship proof for voter registration and photo ID at the polls.
For years, Wait has been a vocal critic of Wisconsin's state-operated website that lets voters locate their polling places and request mail-in ballots. In 2022, he used that same system to order ballots under the names of two prominent politicians — Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, the state's most influential GOP figure, and Racine Mayor Cory Mason, a Democrat and former state legislator.
Wait had the ballots directed to his own address and then publicly admitted to what he had done, arguing he was exposing a weakness in Wisconsin's election system that bad actors could exploit to vote in someone else's name. The state's Justice Department investigated and brought charges against him.
Of the two municipal clerks who received his requests, one mailed him a ballot while the other declined. Election officials have noted that this type of activity is extremely uncommon and that they would have detected it even without Wait's public admission, pointing out that the state monitors ballot delivery and looks into cases where voters suspect someone tried to vote on their behalf.
Wait has maintained that how easily he was able to order the ballots proves the online system is open to abuse. In the four years since the charges were filed, he has consistently said that drawing attention to the problem was worth facing criminal prosecution. Wish granted!
Via The Post:
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat, because to save the republic, soldiers have to draw blood and blood be drawn,” Wait told The Washington Post in 2022.
His supporters have lauded Wait as a hero. At rallies, some have worn “Free Harry” T-shirts and others military-style dog tags with Wait’s name, the date he ordered ballots, and the designation of “patriot.” On Monday and Tuesday, his backers posted video updates about his trial and filled the courtroom in Racine.
How long do you think it will be before Trump posts "Free Harry" on Truth Social as he repeatedly does with convicted felon Tina Peters? Harry Wait, like Tina Peters, inadvertently proved that the system works. Gee, thanks, I guess. Enjoy those stale bologna sandwiches in prison, you guys.
