Two Wisconsin Cities Opt Out of Using Drop Boxes Even Though Court Reversed Prohibition
Two cities in Wisconsin are opting out of using drop boxes for absentee ballots in the 2024 general election even after the high court reversed the state’s prohibition this summer.
City councilors in Brookfield and New Berlin, both located in Waukesha County west of Milwaukee, voted against using drop boxes in the Nov. 5 presidential election despite having used them before, according to local media reports.
In Brookfield, the council voted 10-4 last week to pass a resolution to not have drop boxes in the upcoming election, the Journal-Sentinel reported. New Berlin’s council in July voted unanimously against using drop boxes.
The decisions follow a July 5 ruling from the majority-liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court that reversed a 2022 ban from the court’s then-conservative majority, which prohibited the popular method of returning absentee ballots.
In interviews with Democracy Docket, Wisconsin Election Commission Chair Ann Jacobs touted the use of drop boxes as a safe and secure method for voting, noting the prohibition had the biggest impact on rural areas of the state. Wisconsin’s elections are administered by municipalities.
Before the Brookfield vote, residents who spoke with the Journal-Sentinel reportedly said they support the use of drop boxes. The newspaper also shared a memo submitted to the council by City Attorney Jenna Merten, in which she said drop boxes were no longer necessary since COVID “is no longer the threat to public health that it once was.”
The memo detailed the various ways Wisconsinites can vote that don’t require drop boxes. “While a drop box would be more convenient for people who work during the time that City Hall is open (8-5), the City will be having extended voting hours during in-person absentee voting for the two weeks prior to the election from 7 a.m-6 p.m.”
In New Berlin, some residents told local NBC affiliate TMJ 4 they agree with the council’s decision. But one man said he worries about how the lack of drop boxes will affect elderly voters like his mother.
Mayor Dave Ament told Wisconsin Public Radio he thinks the council “made the right decision. I don’t think we need them (ballot boxes).”