Dylan Brogan
Madison voters can no longer use absentee ballot drop boxes installed by the city in October 2020.
In the months leading up to the 2020 presidential election, COVID-19 infection rates were soaring and voters were warned not to mail absentee ballots because of delays with the U.S. Postal Service. Like many communities in Wisconsin, Madison installed metal drop boxes around the city — 14 to be exact, located mostly outside fire stations — so voters could securely and safely vote without fear of their ballot getting lost in the mail or arriving at the clerk’s office after Election Day. But that option is no longer available for the upcoming April 5 election.
“This week, our office went around installing signs saying the drop boxes are locked but here are the nearest in-person absentee voting locations and their hours, so voters know where they can drop off absentee ballots — in person — to clerk office personnel,” Madison Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl tells Isthmus.
In January, Waukesha County Judge Michael Bohren sided with the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty on a lawsuit seeking to prohibit municipalities from using unstaffed drop boxes. In a 4-3 ruling, the Wisconsin Supreme Court allowed Bohren’s decision to stand until the high court makes a final ruling on drop boxes later this year.
Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell says that seniors and people with disabilities will face another new barrier for this spring’s election. Before the recent court rulings, a parent or spouse could drop off a loved one’s absentee ballot at the clerk’s office. Now, voters themselves must turn in their own ballots. A friend isn’t even allowed to mail an absentee ballot for a voter. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported this week how this new restriction will adversely affect some voters. Reporter Patrick Marley spoke with Timothy Carey of Grand Chute, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and has voted absentee for 30 years. Because of his medical conditions, Carey would have to bring a portable ventilator and other equipment to the polls in order to vote in person or drop off an absentee ballot. He told Marley the recent court ruling “will basically make it impossible for me to vote.”
McDonell says for decades no one considered this kind of assistance to be a source of fraud.
“This is still all about the 2020 election. The conspiracy theorists out there love to generate anything to discredit that election,” says McDonell of the continuing claims from Trump supporters that President Joe Biden fraudulently won the presidency. “It hasn’t been a problem in Dane County. No one thought anything of it until it was convenient to try to get someone else installed as president.”
McDonell is hopeful that the Wisconsin Supreme Court will eventually overturn Bohren’s ruling before the partisan primary on August 9. But for now, clerks are scrambling to inform voters so they aren’t caught off guard. A much bigger turnout is expected for the summer and fall elections that include competitive races for U.S. Senate, governor, and other state offices. For most Madison voters, there are only two competitive races for school board on the April 5 ballot (and that’s if you count write-in candidate David Blaska’s challenge against incumbent Ali Muldrow as a competitive race).
“The elections in August and November will be a whole other animal,” says McDonell.
Unlike in fall 2020, the U.S. Post Office isn’t being deluged with absentee ballots and experiencing long delays. But Witzel-Behl says you should still plan on mailing absentee ballots at least one week in advance of the election to ensure it arrives before Election Day. For the April 5 election, that means your ballot should be mailed no later than March 31. If you still need to request an absentee ballot, Witzel-Behl recommends doing so on the My Vote Wisconsin website this week.
If you’ve received an absentee ballot but want to vote in person on April 5, Witzel-Behl says that’s not a problem.
“It should be pretty seamless for the voter. If they vote in person or vote early, you might see our staff doing a little extra typing,” says Witzel-Behl. “That’s just us canceling the ballot that was mailed so we can issue a new one.”
If you want to vote early, you can do so at the clerk’s office and 12 other locations (select libraries and community centers) now through April 2. Before you go confirm the hours since they vary by location. You will still need a photo ID to vote, just like on Election Day. You can also legally drop off absentee ballots at these locations.
What might be most confusing for some Madison residents is that their voting location has changed. This is because the city and county recently adopted new district lines during the decennial redistricting process. Having a new polling place can be frustrating for some voters, says Witzel-Behl.
“What we've seen in the clerk's office is that it always is a tough transition after redistricting because people like their polling places, and then suddenly, they're told there are new ward boundaries and they have to switch to a new location,” says Witzel-Behl. “We sent out postcards to people who have a new polling station. But we highly recommend you visit our website or the My Vote Wisconsin website to confirm your polling place before you go and vote on April 5.”
The recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that set new district lines for state Assembly and Senate districts could also mean your polling place might change again before the August primary and the November general election. Municipalities are currently in the process of adopting new voting wards so they align with the state district lines.
The clerk’s office still has fewer options for where polling places can be located due to the pandemic. The Madison school district, for instance, is still not allowing their facilities to be used for voting.
“[The district] has said they can't host polling locations in the schools for the April 5 election. We've had a lot of voters frustrated with that,” says Witzel-Behl. “We might be able to get back into MMSD facilities in the fall, but not for this election. It's just one of the realities that we are facing with a pandemic that has lasted for a few years now.”
