MILWUAKEE — Wisconsin's Supreme Court ruled to reinstate most absentee ballot drop boxes, overturning a previous decision that limited their use.
The liberal-leaning court's decision clears the way for election officials to place ballot drop boxes around their communities. In 2022, the high court that leaned conservative ruled the boxes could only be placed in local election clerks' offices and only the voter could return a ballot in person.
Friday's decision does not require municipal clerks to use the drop boxes.
VIDEO: Voters and election official react to wider use of absentee ballot drop boxes
"I say it's important because me and myself as a college student I'm pretty busy with my schedule, so I feel like that's more convenient for me as well," John Williams told TMJ4.
Brian Till prefers to vote early and in person.
"I probably won't use the drop box, but I love that they're available because I think the more people that vote the better and easier that we make it for people the better off that we're going to be overall," Till said.
"I think it's going to make a huge difference because the thing is it's all about access. People won't do something unless it's easy to do. So as long as we bring access, more voting is more possible," Erika Munjin stated.
Wisconsin Republicans criticized the ruling.
“In a setback for both the separation of powers and public trust in our elections, the left-wing justices on the Supreme Court of Wisconsin have obeyed the demands of their out-of-state donors at the expense of Wisconsin. This latest attempt by leftist justices to placate their far-left backers will not go unanswered by voters,” Wisconsin GOP Chairman Brian Schimming wrote in a statement.
Members of the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission are preparing to discuss the court's decision. Those talks may touch on plans for communicating to local election officials.
"We hope that they are utilized. It's all about now, reviewing the decision and looking at the schedule when they would be available for operations," said Paulina Gutierrez executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission.
Gutierrez says drop boxes will not be ready for the July special election. Additionally, two out of the city's 15 ballot drop boxes need to be replaced due to damage. A third one needs to be reviewed for placement due to construction at the MLK Library.
The election commission needs to work with its vendor on a timeline and increase staff training.
The goal is to have them ready for the August primary.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.