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Some members of the Wisconsin Board of Elections are calling for criminal charges against a Racine County man who admitted to fraudulently soliciting absentee ballots on behalf of prominent state officials, an action he said he took to highlight.
In a series of interviews with media outlets including Wisconsin Public Radio, Harry Waite of Dover said he used the state’s online voter portal to request absentee ballots for Assembly Speaker Robin Voss, R-Rochester, and Racine Mayor Corey Mason. a democrat.
“What I did was criminal,” Waite said in a phone interview Thursday night. “But you know, it wasn’t a criminal act. It was to expose the vulnerabilities of the WEC system.”
Wait’s acceptance drew a reaction of disbelief from some WEC members during an emergency meeting on Thursday night.
“I’m amazed and outraged that he thinks this is a cute thing when what he’s doing is committing crimes and bragging about it in an attempt to undermine our voting system,” said Democratic Commissioner Ann Jacobs.
Jacobs said Waite should be targeted for prosecution, and quickly.
Waite said he requested the ballots using Voss and Mason’s birth dates along with their current addresses. Waite also reportedly solicited the ballots of about 10 other friends with permission.
Waite said he asked for the ballots to be sent to another address, but never received them. He said he sent an email early the next morning notifying Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling and District Attorney Patricia Hanson, among others, that he had taken the step.
“The DA said they’re going to look into it because he’s not feeling well,” Waite said. “And the sheriff called me the next morning and said, ‘Good job.'”
Schmaling was among a vocal group of Wisconsin officials who cast doubt on the 2020 election, at one point recommending criminal charges against WEC members for voting to keep special-vote lawmakers out of nursing homes in 2020. as a pandemic safety measure. Hansen did not press charges.
WEC members strongly disputed the idea that they broke the law in this case. In this situation, Waite repeatedly admitted what he had done.
“I guess I’ll wait and see,” Waite said. “I mean, it’s still possible that I could be accused by Patricia Hansen. I may be impeached by (Democratic Attorney General) Josh Kaul.”
WEC administrator Megan Wolfe said her agency contacted officials after news of Waite’s actions broke. In a memorandum to clerks, the WEC advised them to screen incoming absentee ballot requests with a separate mailing address to identify possible fraudulent activity. The memo instructs clerks to contact voters to confirm any ballot requests that raise concerns.
The memo said Waite’s move led to others intentionally submitting false vote requests through the MyVote Wisconsin website. Also includes a reminder.
“Soliciting or attempting to cast an absentee ballot on behalf of another person has long been and continues to be a crime,” the WEC memo said. “People who intentionally misuse the MyVote app can be subject to severe criminal and civil penalties. It is illegal to provide false information or information to another person to solicit someone else’s vote.”
The six-member WEC, which is split 3-3 between Republicans and Democrats, voted Thursday to send an additional memo to officials instructing them on their duty to refer potential election law violations to district attorneys.
While commissioners indicated they would likely refer Wait for prosecution at a future meeting, they did not do so Thursday. Republican Don Millis, who chairs the panel, said he first wants to learn more about the people involved, including where they live, and get a formal recommendation from WEC officials.
“It certainly appears … that there have been crimes committed. And I think it’s appropriate to make references,” Millis said. “I want to make sure that whatever we do, we do it with a bit of rationality and not in a rush.”
“I appreciate the chair’s willingness to be considerate,” Jacobs replied. “But sometimes when people come out fully in the paper, we don’t really need to go into a long analysis of it.”
Although Sheriff Schmaling has given no indication he plans to recommend charges, he has recommended suspending use of the state’s MyVote Wisconsin website. Wolff said there are no vulnerabilities in the website.
“Just as a criminal can misuse someone’s personal information or identity to commit something like financial fraud, someone can also illegally use a person’s personal information to commit election fraud,” Wolff said. “However, there are many checks in the system at both the state and local levels to prevent and detect such activity.
Wait runs a group called HOT Government, which stands for Honest, Open and Transparent. Like others who cast doubt on the election, he was at odds with Voss, who rejected calls to decertify the election, saying the move would violate the constitution. Waite also criticized Mason for Racine’s decision to accept private subsidies from a group funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to manage the 2020 election.
“We chose them because they’re both mockingbirds,” Waite said. “If I had to do it again to put it out there so the general public knows they are a risk … I would do it again.”
Voss said in a statement reported by the Washington Post that Waite’s actions were sad and that “if election integrity means anything, it means that we all must abide by the law — Republicans and Democrats alike.” Mason told the newspaper that Waite was so desperate to prove a conspiracy that he was willing to commit the crime he claims he was willing to try to prevent.
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