DUH! Wisconsin Republican charged with voter fraud after bragging about it
A Wisconsin man who publicly bragged about committing voter fraud has been charged with multiple counts of — you guessed it – voter fraud. The Wisconsin Department of Justice announced via press release on Thursday that 68-year-old Harry E. Wait of Union Grove has:
“been charged with two counts of Election Fraud and two counts of Unauthorized Use of an Individual’s Personal Identifying Information in connection with his requesting absentee ballots for two other individuals.”
Wait faces up to six months in jail for the election fraud charges and a fine of $1000, reports Law & Crime. The criminal complaint states the more serious charges are felonies punishable by up to six years in prison and carrying a $10,000 fine.
Manning a booth at the Racine County Fair, the duplicitous Wait requested absentee ballots for two individuals without their permission. According to the Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said:
“According to the criminal complaint, on the evening of July 26, 2022, Mr. Wait went to MyVote.wi.gov and requested absentee ballots for two individuals to be sent to his address in Union Grove, Wis. The complaint states that, in multiple online videos and other correspondence, Mr. Wait admitted requesting the ballots using the other individuals’ personal identifying information. The complaint states that the individuals did not authorize Mr. Wait to use their personal identifying information for this purpose.”
Wait has been unapologetic about his illegal activities and said he is “ready to be charged for his actions,” according to prosecutors.
In an interview with WISN-TV, an ABC affiliate, Wait claims to have ordered ballots in the names of State Rep. Robin Vos, a Republican, and Racine Mayor Cory Mason, a Democrat. The wannabe election vigilante said on camera:
“I was notified that there may be vulnerability in the online WEC [Wisconsin Election Commission] voting system,” Wait explained. “So, in order to test them on Tuesday night, we went online and we ordered ballots for Cory Mason, who is the mayor of the city of Racine, and Robin Vos, who happens to be our state assembly leader.”
Vos condemned Wait’s actions, with the state lawmaker telling the local news station:
“I learned that one of the top volunteers for my primary opponent’s campaign admitted to fraudulently posing as me and attempting to steal my ballot,” Vos told the television station. “This is voter fraud. His actions are sad. If election integrity means anything, it means we all have to follow the law – Republicans and Democrats alike.”
Mayor Mason echoed Vos’ sentiment, saying, “For a long time, there have been people so desperate to find election fraud that I think Mr. Wait has become the very thing that he claims to despise, which is apparently a felon who will steal somebody’s vote.”
Ever delusional, Wait has justified his actions as a “sting operation.” Going so far as to sign a Facebook post on the Freedom Fighters of Wisconsin page – formed because of their perceived experience of “loss of liberty” – with his home address and phone number. The unhinged rant made claims that “the destruction of our republic is imminent,” blaming so-called and unsubstantiated voter fraud.
As president of HOT (honest, open, and transparent) Government, the organization filed a complaint against the WEC claiming that absentee ballot requests made through the MyVote system are illegal.
“There is no Wisconsin state statute that authorizes the existence of MyVote, let alone the existence of MyVote receiving absentee ballot applications,” the complaint states.
The Wisconsin Election Commission alerted criminal investigators to the social media page including a post alleging someone had been “requesting absentee ballots in other people’s names.”
According to Wait, “I stand ready to be charged for exposing these voting vulnerabilities when I ordered the ballots for Vos and Mason.” Well, it looks like the state of Wisconsin is going to oblige.
Wait is scheduled to appear at the Racine County Circuit Court on Sept. 8th.
Original reporting by Aaron Keller at Law & Crime.
Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick
