A jury convicted a Wisconsin man of election fraud and identity theft for requesting the ballots of Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic Racine Mayor Cory Mason without their consent.
Jurors in Racine County on Tuesday found Harry Wait guilty of two misdemeanor election fraud charges and one felony identity theft charge following a two-day trial. He was acquitted of a second count of identity theft.
Wait leads a group that makes false election claims, including that Wisconsin’s elections are riddled with fraud and that President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Trump lost Wisconsin in 2020 by about 21,000 votes.
Wait admitted in 2022 that he requested Vos’ and Mason’s ballots to try to prove that the state’s voter registration system is vulnerable to fraud. Wait told The Associated Press at the time that he wasn’t surprised he was charged.
“You got to expect to pay some costs sometimes when you are trying to work for the public good,” he said.
His efforts drew praise from Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in 2022, who called Wait a “white hat hacker.”
After the verdict, Wait told WTMJ that he “would do it again.”
“I tested the system and the system failed,” he said.
A sentencing date has not been set. Wait’s attorney Joe Bugni did not respond to an email Wednesday asking whether he would appeal.
Wait, 71, faces up to six years in prison on the felony conviction and up to a year in jail on each of the misdemeanor convictions.
His conviction comes after a jury in 2024 found a former Milwaukee election official guilty of misconduct in office after she obtained three military absentee ballots using fake names and Social Security numbers in 2022. Like Wait, Kimberly Zapata argued that she was trying to expose vulnerabilities in the state’s election system.
Zapata was fined $3,000 and sentenced to one year probation.
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters to get our investigative stories and Friday news roundup.This story is published in partnership with The Associated Press.
Borrowers who go through microloan programs in Appleton and Madison work with local banks to set up accounts. (Courtesy of unDraw.co)
Click here to read highlights from the story
St. Vincent de Paul-Madison started a microloan program in 2023 and has so far made nearly $100,000 in loans to 50 people.
Word spread about the program, and leaders at St. Vincent de Paul-St. Thomas More Conference in Appleton decided to implement a similar initiative.
People must meet several criteria to be eligible for a low-interest microloan.
The local St. Vincent de Paul chapter financially supports the loan, and borrowers work with a partner bank to establish a bank account, get the funds and go through financial education.
However, the effort is not without risk. The Madison organization has had people default on their microloans, though leaders declined to say how many.
Mary T. had a $2,500 balance on her credit card. It came with a 26.9% interest rate.
“I wanted to be responsible and pay off my loan … but it was so hard to get it paid off,” the Madison resident said.
Then, she heard about St. Vincent de Paul-Madison’s microloan program. If she qualified, the organization would pay the credit card loan and Mary would then pay back St. Vincent de Paul on a loan with a 4.3% interest rate through a local bank.
“It’s July 2027 that I’ll have it paid off,” Mary said. “It was not hard to go through the paperwork, and they were so nice to me throughout the whole process.”
Mary is one of about 50 people helped by St. Vincent de Paul’s microloan program since it started in late 2023. The Madison organization launched its initiative to help people living in poverty manage a one-time bill or pay off high-interest payday loans.
“People get trapped in these loans,” said Julie Bennett, CEO and executive director of St. Vincent de Paul-Madison. “They take out a loan to help with a car repair, for example, and the interest just grows. They then need another loan or need to extend the loan because they can’t pay the interest, and it just spirals.”
Since St. Vincent de Paul-Madison started its microloan program, the organization has made nearly $100,000 in loans, and word has spread. The St. Vincent de Paul-St. Thomas More Conference in Appleton launched its microloan program in February.
“The first microloan we made was for someone who had an auto title loan with a 305% effective interest rate. He had a $1,500 loan, and we were able to get him down to a 5% interest rate,” Bennett said.
Finding an alternative to payday loans
The Madison organization’s leaders learned about microloan programs offered by St. Vincent de Paul conferences in Columbus, Ohio, and Dallas, Texas, after attending national events. Members thought it was a great program they could bring back to Wisconsin, which has some of the highest average payday loan interest rates in the nation. A report from The Pew Charitable Trusts found state residents pay an average of $395 in fees and interest when repaying a $500 loan after four months, for an interest rate of 338%.
As the Madison organization’s leaders worked on the 2019-2022 strategic plan, Bennett said creating a microloan program was included on the to-do list. They looked at other microloan programs and struggled at first to understand the complexity of banking. St. Vincent de Paul-Madison created a task force that included financial representatives who helped them understand how the loan process would work. Representatives from local organizations that work with those living in poverty also joined the task force.
While St. Vincent de Paul-Madison provides the money for the loans, its leaders must partner with financial institutions to process the loans and help create a positive lending experience for the borrower’s credit report. The Bank of Sun Prairie signed on as the organization’s first banking partner in 2023, with Lake Ridge Bank joining in 2025.
“We needed a financial partner to take care of all the loan documentation and to make sure the loan was on (the borrower’s) record,” Bennett said. “If they pay off the loan successfully, it looks good on their credit record and gives them something to build on.”
Microloan recipients must meet several requirements to qualify, including being a Dane County resident, having a monthly household income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level, being willing to have a bank account and having a monthly debt-to-income ratio under 47%.
As part of the program, loans range from $400 to $2,500. Borrowers receive low-interest rates between 4% and 8% and set up flexible repayment plans over two years through local banks.
“We see the microloans as an alternative to payday loans for people who need money but have no other source to go to,” Bennett said. “We also see the microloans as a way to pay off those payday loans, which cause immediate and long-term harm to borrowers since the interest rates keep going up.”
Borrowers also receive financial education and support to help them avoid similar situations in the future. Bennett said St. Vincent de Paul-Madison wanted to provide that education with a sensitive approach. The University of Wisconsin-Extension’s Financial Education program developed training for the microlending team so they could have sensitive, discreet conversations.
“No one likes talking to strangers about their money, and it’s even harder when their financial condition is precarious,” she said.
The microloan program carries some risk for St. Vincent de Paul-Madison. If borrowers default on their loans, the organization is on the hook for paying them off. Unfortunately, that has happened, though Bennett declined to share how many people have defaulted.
To Mary, being able to get her interest rate to a predictable and manageable number was vital.
“I just know how much I need to pay without the total … going up all the time, with the interest … growing,” she said. “I felt I was never making any progress with the payments. Now, I can see when it’s all going to be paid off, and I know I’m going to get it done.”
An example to others
The Madison team paid their experience forward, and leaders from an Appleton organization took notice.
Karen Rickert, a member of St. Vincent de Paul-St. Thomas More Conference, heard Bennett speak about Madison’s microloan program at an event. In her years as a volunteer, Rickert saw many people caught living paycheck to paycheck. A woman who was hit with a car repair bill and turned to a payday lender stuck with Rickert.
“The repair costs were more than what we could help with. She couldn’t go to work because she didn’t have a working car. She couldn’t take her kids to school because she didn’t have a car. She eventually had to take out one of those terrible payday loans,” Rickert said. “I felt terrible about it, but it sprung me into action.”
Members from the Appleton organization met with Bennett and learned as much as possible about the Madison group’s microloan program. They put their bylaws and plans together.
The next step? Raising $20,000 to serve as security for the loans. Thanks to a grant and donations, they nearly doubled their goal.
Nicolet Bank signed on as the financial institution. Rickert said the organization has several volunteers who used to work in finance and banking. They “walk hand-in-hand with our borrowers through the process to help address any issues before they become a problem,” she said.
For organizations looking to start their own microloan programs, Bennett and Rickert recommended talking to groups with their own initiatives and being prepared to ask a lot of questions. The St. Thomas More Conference learned a lot by talking with the Madison organization and others as they put their microloan program together, Rickert said.
“It was a lot of work and took us a while to get it going, but it was worth it,” she said.
With everything in place, the Appleton organization made its first microloan in February.
“It’s amazing to see this all come together and now we’re able to help people get loans at a reasonable rate and help steer them away from payday loans,” Rickert said. “We’re helping them get a step ahead.”
The secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said the agency is preparing to set up grant programs to address PFAS contamination with some work beginning this summer or fall.
The Line 5 reroute has generated years of debate, protests, tens of thousands of comments and challenges to state permits that prompted a weekslong contested case hearing. The fight over Line 5 is one front in a larger battle over pipeline projects that often pit energy security and jobs against potential harms to the environment and tribal treaty rights.
In 1985, Wisconsin was one of the most unionized states in the country. A new study looks at the precipitous decline in union membership after the passage of Act 10, which marks its 15th anniversary this month.
In a counterintuitive move, entrepreneurs see a value in moving toward, not away from, one city or the other during construction work on the Blatnik Bridge.
Harry Wait, the Racine-area man who requested absentee ballots on behalf of other people to prove it could be done, was convicted Tuesday night on election fraud and identity theft charges.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, applauded the Trump administration’s decision to grant emergency waivers allowing uninterrupted, nationwide sales of lower-cost E15, a fuel blend made with 15% ethanol that can be used in 96% of cars on the road today. The decision to issue an E15 summer waiver will ensure that consumers will maintain access to a fuel that saves drivers up to 30 cents per gallon.
“We applaud President Trump, EPA Administrator Zeldin, and our Midwestern governors for their support, and for taking swift action to ensure that retailers, refiners, and biofuel producers have the certainty they need to protect consumer access to savings at the pump,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “With the conflict in the Middle East and its impact on the global oil marketplace, it’s more important than ever to shield U.S. consumers from volatility with lower-cost, American-made fuel.”
“Now, to bring E15 to new markets and more consumers, it’s vital that Congress act quickly on President Trump’s call for nationwide legislation allowing uninterrupted sales of lower-cost E15. It’s a common-sense solution that doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime. Not only will permanent legislation unlock greater fuel savings across the U.S.—it will deliver an immediate, badly-needed boost to the rural economy.”
For more information about the E15 summer waiver and emergency waivers, read Growth Energy’s FAQ here.
Hamilton Southeastern Schools district leaders in Indianapolis prioritize a drive toward a cleaner, more sustainable future.
That commitment was recognized earlier this month when the district was named 2026 School Bus Fleet of the Year by Drive Clean Indiana, the state’s clean cities coalition, recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy, during the organization’s annual Breakfast of Champions in Indianapolis.
The March 16 recognition occurred alongside Work Truck Week, where industry stakeholders gathered to celebrate advancements in clean transportation. The Breakfast of Champions featured a keynote address by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, underscoring the broader connection between performance, innovation and energy.
Zach McKinney stands next to a Hamilton Southeastern Schools bus.
McKinney previously told STN the electric transition has been a good experience, and now he and his staff have the knowledge needed to provide feedback to others. However, he added it’s hard for the district to subsidize the cost financially without the aid of grants.
“It’s not obtainable by most school districts,” he said last June, adding that he’s not going to sacrifice the purchasing two and half diesel buses for the same money it takes to buy one electric bus.
However, McKinney shared with STN last week that Hamilton Southeastern was awarded funding for nine more electric school buses.
The Land of 10,000 Lakes is moving to crack down on motorists who illegally pass stopped school buses with new legislation aimed at enhancing the state’s current law that a Minnesota appeals court saw a loophole in.
S.F. No. 3623 seeks to amend Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 169.444, subdivision 1, the state law on the safety of schoolchildren and the duty of motorists in school zones, to enforce stricter rules for approaching school buses. It heads to the desk of Gov. Tim Walz for signature.
The bill would continue to require motorists to stop at least 20 feet away from a school bus, but only with its red lights flashing, removing language mentioning federally mandated stop arms. This is due to a motorist’s appeal of an illegal passing conviction that made its way to the Minnesota Court of Appeals last year.
In that case, motorist Allison Waln challenged her conviction by arguing that the school bus video evidence showed the stop arm was not fully extended. The appellate court ruled in her favor in September due to ambiguity of how the law defined the word extended.
“In sum, we hold that the plain meaning of the term extended, as used in Minn. Stat. § 169.444, subd. 1, requires a school bus’ stop-signal arm to be fully stretched out before an approaching driver must stop,” the court found.
Legislating a Fix
This led legislators to try and close the loophole by rewriting the traffic code to reinforce that the flashing amber lights notify motorists that the school bus will begin loading or unloading students. The legislation adds language to the state law that motorists must prepare to come to a complete stop when they see the pre-warning flashing amber lights on school buses, which signals drivers that the bus is preparing to stop and activate its red flashing lights. Under the bill, vehicles must not encroach within 20 feet of a school bus when those amber lights are flashing, reinforcing the need for caution in school zones.
The bill also prohibits vehicles from moving until the stop arm is retracted and the red lights stop flashing by replacing the previous language of “shall stop” with “must stop.”
S.F. No. 3623 advanced quickly through the legislative process. Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart introduced the bill, which was referred to the Transportation Committee on the same day, Feb. 17. The committee recommended the bill for passage Feb. 26, and it underwent a second reading. The bill passed its third reading in the Senate March 9 by a vote of 19-7. The House unanimously passed the bill Monday by a vote of 133-0.
The bill would go into effect as law the day after its final enactment rather than the normal date of Aug. 1 for passed and signed legislation.
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