A right-wing activist who set out to expose widespread election fraud in U.S. elections has been convicted of election fraud and identity theft.
On Tuesday, a Wisconsin jury convicted conservative activist Harry Wait,71, of two misdemeanor election fraud charges and one felony identity theft charge. Wait was found not guilty of unauthorized use of an individual’s personal identifying information, according to the Associated Press.
Prosecutors say in 2022, Wait requested the ballots of Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic Racine Mayor Cory Mason without their consent. Wait, an election denier, admitted that he requested ballots of the prominent local politicians. He received Mason’s ballot, which he says he sent back to county officials unopened, but he never received Vos’.
Wait argued that proves Wisconsin’s voter registration system is vulnerable to fraud. However, Wisconsin election officials said the error would have been quickly caught even if Wait hadn’t disclosed that he received the ballot.
Despite being caught, Wait insisted that he “tested the system and the system failed,” adding that he “would do it again in a heartbeat.”
Wait faces up to six years in prison on the felony conviction and up to a year in jail on each misdemeanor conviction.
Wait’s conviction comes after Milwaukee’s deputy elections director, Kimberly Zapata, was convicted in 2024 of absentee-ballot fraud and misconduct in office after she obtained three military absentee ballots using fake names and Social Security numbers in 2022. Zapata also argued that she was trying to expose vulnerabilities in the state’s election system. She was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $3000 fine.
