Wisconsin Supreme Court Bans Uses Of Drop Boxes In Elections

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has banned the use of unmanned ballot drop boxes for ballot collection in a tight decision released on Friday. 

The court ruled 4-3 that voters could not turn their ballots into unmanned drop boxes and said that voters would not be allowed to give their ballots to others to drop off for them. The court said that voters would have the option to turn their ballots in-person or mail them in. Furthermore, drop boxes will not be used in the August primary or the general election. 

“An absentee ballot must be returned by mail or the voter must personally deliver it to the municipal clerk at the clerk’s office or a designated alternative site,” the majority decision said. 

The lawsuit, initiated by two Wisconsin voters, was brought against several entities including the Wisconsin Election Commission (WEC) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. 

Documents in question included guidance from the WEC on mail-in-ballots and voting. The lawsuit alleged that ballot drop boxes “causes doubts about the fairness of the elections and erodes voter confidence in the electoral process.” 

“The key phrase is ‘in person’ and it must be assigned its natural meaning,” said Justice Rebecca Bradley, who wrote the majority decision. 

The decision followed a lower court ruling that also banned the use of drop boxes.

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