Racine County man who illegally requested absentee ballots to prove voter fraud exists has been charged

MADISON - A Racine County man who illegally requested absentee ballots to prove election fraud is possible has been charged with election fraud, the Wisconsin Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Harry Wait, a leader of a Racine County-based group known as H.O.T. Government that promotes false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election, fraudulently obtained absentee ballots for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Racine Mayor Cory Mason to show violations of the law are possible.

He was charged on Thursday with two counts of election fraud and two counts of unauthorized use of an individual's personal identifying information related to his scheme to commit fraud.

"I'm glad I did it. I would do it again in a heartbeat," Wait told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Thursday.

Wisconsin Department of Justice investigated election fraud case

According to the criminal complaint, an investigator with the DOJ's Division of Criminal Investigation alleges Wait requested eight ballots but all but two individuals gave him permission to do so.

The charges come two months after the state DOJ launched an investigation into the scheme to commit election crimes by Wait and others who believe former President Donald Trump did not lose the 2020 election and fraudulently requested absentee ballots to prove voter fraud exists.

"The Wisconsin Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that the integrity of our elections is protected from alleged intentional violations of the law,” Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement.

Racine County Sheriff Schmaling wasn't going to charge Harry Wait, instead praises him

Wait freely spoke about the crime and contacted Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling and others about his actions.

In one email to Schmaling, Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson, Vos and others, Wait said, "I stand ready to be charged for exposing these voting vulnerabilities when I ordered Mason's and Vos's absentee ballot online, all without providing a photo I.D. or identifying myself."

Schmaling did not arrest Wait and instead publicized the plot on social media as being helpful in rooting out vulnerabilities in the state election system and blamed the Wisconsin Elections Commission, calling on commissioners to remove a way voters can easily request ballots online.

Wait becomes popular among people who falsely believe Trump won the 2020 election

Wait has become a minor celebrity among those in Wisconsin and beyond who do not believe President Joe Biden legitimately won the presidency in 2020.

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson has praised Wait's actions, calling him a "white hat hacker."

Wait faces up to six years in prison for each count of using the personal identifying information of Vos and Mason without their permission, a felony crime. He faces up to six months in prison for each count of election fraud, which is a misdemeanor.

Wait said Thursday he believes his effort has "nationwide implications."

"What we exploited is only the tip of the iceberg. And there's so much more to come," he said.

Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in Wisconsin by about 21,000 votes. Recounts financed by Trump, nonpartisan state audits, and a study by a conservative legal firm have confirmed the result and did not find widespread voter fraud.

You can find out who your legislators are and how to contact them here.

Contact Molly Beck at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Racine County man charged for illegally requesting absentee ballots