Wisconsin Man Convicted of Ballot Fraud, ID Theft

A Racine County man was convicted this week of election fraud and identity theft after illegally requesting absentee ballots for two prominent Wisconsin officials without their consent.[5] Harry Wait, 71, was found guilty on two misdemeanor counts of election fraud and one felony count of identity theft following a two-day trial, though he was acquitted on a second identity theft charge.[5]

Wait admitted in 2022 that he accessed the state's MyVote system and requested ballots in the names of Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic Racine Mayor Cory Mason, claiming he wanted to expose vulnerabilities in Wisconsin's voter registration system.[5][6] Wait leads a group that has promoted false claims about Wisconsin elections, including assertions that the state's voting processes are riddled with fraud and that President Donald Trump won the 2020 election—Trump actually lost Wisconsin by approximately 21,000 votes.[5]

The verdict underscores Wisconsin's ongoing struggles with election-related legal cases. The conviction comes after a former Milwaukee election official was found guilty of misconduct in office in 2024 for obtaining fake absentee ballots.[3] These cases have drawn attention from election security advocates and officials concerned about attempts to undermine public confidence in the state's voting systems.

Wait faces up to six years in prison on the felony conviction and up to one year in jail on each misdemeanor charge.[5] A sentencing date has not yet been set, and his attorney has not indicated whether an appeal will be filed.