Elections Commission discusses fallout from absentee ballot 'sting operation'

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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- About a week after admitting to requesting other voters absentee ballots be sent to him, Harry Wait of the Town of Dover is still a free man. Election officials said in a meeting Wednesday, Aug. 3 law enforcement should make an example of him.

On social media, Harry Wait touts his so-called "sting operation" to obtain other voters' absentee ballots.

"We did receive, unbelievable as it is, we received [Racine Mayor] Cory Mason's absentee ballot," Wait said in a video posted on his group's page on the social media site Rumble, where he holds up envelopes containing the absentee ballots of other Wisconsin voters.

Wait told CBS 58 he sent a letter to Attorney General Josh Kaul outlining what he did, his concerns of alleged system vulnerabilities and even offering to help the investigation.

The state DOJ is investigating but said today there's no update to that investigation.

The issue was brought up during Wednesday's Wisconsin Elections Commission meeting.

"We need to make our system much more secure in order to obtain the confidence of the voting public," said Bob Spindell, one of the Republican-appointed members on the commission.

Spindell said the incident demonstrates the need for stricter access to absentee ballot requests -- which currently only requires a name and date of birth if a voter ID is on file.

Spindell suggested information such as the last four digits of one's Social Security, but that got push back from Democrat-appointed members.

"Voting needs to be available to people and we shouldn't make it less available because people are willing to commit crimes," Commissioner Ann Jacobs said.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos was one of Wait's targets and said Wait's efforts are nefarious considering the GOP tried to pass laws to address the issue but were ultimately vetoed by Governor Tony Evers.

"I believe that if you break the law, you should be prosecuted regardless of what your political party is, if you're a Republican or a Democrat, if you break the law, you should go to jail," Vos told CBS 58.

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