Convicted Election Fraudster Harry Wait Shows Up to Register to Vote, Claims He'd "Do It Again"

Harry Wait has a funny way of showing respect for democracy. Just weeks after a jury convicted him of election fraud, Wait walked into the Dover Town Hall on Tuesday to register to vote—and told reporters he has no regrets about the crimes that landed him there.

"I'd do it again," Wait said. "Because people have to know their votes are not safe."

That's a remarkable statement from a man whose own actions proved the opposite: that Wisconsin's election system caught his fraud and prosecuted him for it.

The Fraud That Got Him Convicted

Wait was found guilty on March 24 of two counts of election fraud and one count of identity theft in Racine County Circuit Court. He admitted to requesting absentee ballots for Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Racine Mayor Cory Mason—without their knowledge or consent.

Wait's defense? He claims he was trying to expose vulnerabilities in Wisconsin's MyVote system by proving how easy it is to request someone else's ballot. What he actually proved is that the system works: his fraud was detected, investigated, and prosecuted. He now faces sentencing as a convicted felon.

But facts have never been Wait's strong suit. His stunt fed directly into the election fraud conspiracy theories that have poisoned American democracy since 2020—the same lies that inspired the January 6 insurrection and continue to fuel voter suppression efforts nationwide.

A Felon Who Still Thinks He's Above the Law

Wait showed up at the Dover Town Hall on Tuesday knowing full well he's a convicted felon. He told TMJ4 he planned only to register, not to cast a ballot—"out of respect for the law."

Then he added: "But the law doesn't really deserve any respect."

There it is. The quiet part out loud.

Town of Dover Clerk Camille Gerou confirmed that the Wisconsin Elections Commission had informed the town Wait could technically vote on Tuesday because he had not yet been sentenced. Wait said he was surprised to learn this but chose not to vote anyway, claiming he didn't want to put election workers "in jeopardy."

How noble of him—the man who committed identity theft against two elected officials suddenly concerned about protecting poll workers.

The Broader Pattern

Wait's case is a perfect microcosm of the election fraud myth machine. Activists like Wait commit actual fraud, claim they're exposing vulnerabilities, get caught by the very systems they say are broken, and then use their own criminal convictions as proof that elections can't be trusted.

It's a self-fulfilling prophecy designed to erode public confidence in voting. And it's working. Polls show millions of Americans believe the 2020 election was stolen, despite zero credible evidence and dozens of failed lawsuits. That belief has been weaponized to justify restrictive voting laws, election official harassment, and threats of violence.

Wait is now part of that machinery—a convicted fraudster who says he'd commit the same crimes again, all while wrapping himself in the language of election integrity.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin election workers continue doing their jobs: registering voters, counting ballots, and catching fraud when it happens. They caught Harry Wait. The system worked.

Wait will be sentenced in the coming weeks. Until then, he remains free to spout conspiracy theories and undermine the democratic process he claims to be defending. Just don't expect him to show any actual respect for the law—he's already told you it doesn't deserve any.