BELOIT – State Representative Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) released the following statement regarding voter fraud committed by Republicans in Wisconsin:
“For the last two years, conspiracy theorists on the far right have chased the lies that former President Donald Trump told when he lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. In those two years, Republicans have done nothing but waste time and taxpayer money – because Wisconsin’s elections are safe, secure, and accurate.
“Now, far-right extremists have committed the very crime that they claim to be against. As the Wisconsin Elections Commission has explained, it is a crime to submit fraudulent ballot requests by mail, email, or through the MyVote website. It is a crime to provide false information or another person’s information to request the ballot of another voter. Isolated instances of individuals committing voter fraud are referred for prosecution after every election, and every credible review of Wisconsin elections has demonstrated they do not have systemic vulnerabilities.
“Yesterday, a video was released of Harry Wait, a prominent Republican activist, committing voter fraud. For his crimes, he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The fact that he not only committed these crimes, but also sought out media attention for them, underscores the fact that these extremists do not take our election security seriously. Mr. Wait needs to be reminded that committing a crime is not a joke and comes with serious penalties, just as it has for the small number of other individuals who have tried it in the past.
“We also cannot overlook that Republican leaders who have claimed to care about election security are now praising these criminals. From the local Republican Sheriff who apparently said he would not arrest them to Rep. Janel Brandtjen, Speaker Vos’s Chair of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections, who put out a press release praising their crimes – Republicans have shown that their partisan affiliation has been driving them all along, not respect for Wisconsin laws or concern for our electoral systems. The fact that Mr. Wait was deeply involved in Mike Gableman’s sham investigation overseen by Speaker Vos does not give him permission to commit criminal acts. The people of Wisconsin expect criminals to be held accountable.
“Committing crimes does not justify wild conspiracy theories about elections in Wisconsin. All it does is make Mr. Wait a criminal.”
