UNION GROVE, Wis. — A 68-year-old Union Grove man was recently charged with election fraud after requesting absentee ballots for two other people.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), Harry E. Wait went to MyVote.wi.gov and requested absentee ballots for two other people to be sent to his address on July 26.
According to a criminal complaint, Wait admitted in multiple online videos he requested the ballots using the other individuals' personal identifying information. The complaint says these individuals did not give Wait permission to use their information.
Wait allegedly stated he stood "ready to be charged" for exposing "voting vulnerabilities" and "did not intend to actually use the ballots," the complaint says. Instead, Wait said his actions were to prove that it was possible to "harvest ballots" on the internet "without any ID or any IP addresses being used."
Wait was charged with two counts of election fraud and two counts of unauthorized use of an individual's personal identifying information.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) responded to the charges Thursday, stating they have no role in filing criminal charges. WEC said the commission stands by the integrity of the MyVote application.
"All forms of voting in Wisconsin, including by-mail absentee, are secure and reliable," WEC said in a statement.
Wait will have his initial appearance in court on Sept. 8. If convicted, Wait faces a maximum of 13 years in prison and a $22,000 fine.