A conservative activist in Wisconsin whose organization pushed President Donald Trump’s 2020 election claims was convicted Tuesday night of election fraud ― and said he would do it again.
“When you poke the bear you get that type of outcome, yes. I would do it again,” 71-year-old Harry Wait told local news station WTMJ-TV, adding that he “tested the system” and “the system failed.”
Wait’s conviction comes years after he requested absentee ballots in 2022 for Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic Racine Mayor Cory Mason to be sent to his own address, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by local news station WISN. He had used the politicians’ personal identification information without their consent.
The activist, who co-founded HOT Government, an organization aimed for government transparency, claimed he requested the ballots in order to prove how vulnerable the MyVote system was.
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Since his initial arrest, Wait has become an icon within his circle, as supporters wear “Free Harry” T-shirts and military-style dog tags with Wait’s name at rallies, according to The Washington Post.
Liberal watchdog group American Oversight described Wait’s organization as one that promotes “fringe theories” about the 2020 election. In 2022, a Wisconsin judge found there was “absolutely no evidence of election fraud” into the 2020 presidential election.
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Wait never received Vos’ ballot, but did receive Mason’s, which he turned in to authorities days later, WTMJ-TV reports.
“I didn’t want to take away their voting rights, even though I don’t like them. You know, I don’t think they’re good, but I didn’t want to steal their vote,” Wait said at trial, according to the outlet.
However, prosecutors claimed that Wait requested the ballots to garner “attention or notoriety” for and create a “spectacle.”
“It’s not about me. You know, you, you got your story all, all misinformed. It’s not about me. It’s about the Republic,” Wait said during his trial.
Ultimately, prosecutors told the jury, “You don’t get to break the law to show that the law can be broken.”
Court records reviewed by JS show Wait was convicted on one felony count of identity theft and two misdemeanor counts of election fraud. He was acquitted on a second identity theft charge.
An attorney representing Wait did not respond to JS when reached out for a comment. According to HOT Government, Wait’s sentencing is scheduled for May 27.
The organization posted a follow-up statement Wednesday, telling followers on X that “the larger issue remains unsolved: should citizens be punished for exposing potential weaknesses in the systems that govern them?”
“At a time when concerns about election processes are often dismissed or ignored, he took action to test the system,” the statement read. “Whether one agrees with his methods or not, his actions sparked a conversation that cannot be ignored.”
