The election fraud trial for a man accused of requesting absentee ballots for politicians without their permission is underway in Racine County.
READ ALSO | Supporters fill Racine County courtroom as Harry Wait begins trial for election fraud charges Monday
Harry Wait faces two counts of election fraud and two counts of identity theft. The case dates back to the summer of 2022, when Wait went on the MyVote website and requested the absentee ballots of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Racine Mayor Cory Mason be sent to his home address.
Wait has publicly stated he requested the ballots to expose what he believed were flaws in the absentee ballot process and to bring attention to election security issues. Hours after making the requests, Wait said he notified the local clerks and politicians by email and told law enforcement about what he did.
Watch: Racine County election fraud trial begins over absentee ballot requests
The state argues that Wait's intent does not allow anyone to intentionally break the law.
"His plan involved not only breaking the law, but breaking the law so he can broadcast it for anyone who would listen what he had done so he can get the attention that he was after," Leigh Neville-Neil said.
Wait's attorney, Joseph Bugni, wants jurors to focus on Wait's purpose and why he made the requests.
"The question for you is one question. It needs to be the guiding question that you examine all of the evidence through, and it's this. In Harry's crusade to expose MyVote's vulnerabilities, did he violate these statutes? That's the question," Bugni said.
Wait received the absentee ballot for Mason, but he never opened it and returned it to the authorities. He never received an absentee ballot for Vos, as the request was stopped by a local clerk who noticed red flags.
Vos testified as the second witness for the state and was asked how he felt when he found out Wait had requested his ballot without permission.
"I was frustrated. I mean I think everyone's right to vote is sacrosanct, and the fact that he tried to steal it from me was frustrating," Vos said.
Wait has been joined in court by a number of supporters throughout the process, several of whom say he did nothing wrong.
Walworth County Judge Daniel Johnson expects the trial to last two days before the case goes to the twelve-person jury for a verdict.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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