It was once a leader in high voter turnout (opens in new tab) and expanded access to the ballot prior to the very restrictive 2011 voter ID law (opens in new tab) and 2022 absentee ballot law that went into effect. Heck emphasizes that Wisconsin is a microcosm for the rest of the country. How Will Wisconsin's Drop Box Ban Affect Other Voting Laws Across the Country?
It's important to note, however, that vote by mail was equally used by both parties prior to the Republican party's attack on voting by mail and ballot drop boxes.
By getting rid of all the drop boxes, their calculation is that this will help them.” “The calculation in Wisconsin by the Republicans is that more Democrats vote by absentee ballot overall than Republicans so they view it in their interests to be able to restrict how absentee ballots are returned. “This is designed specifically to make sure that many of the absentee ballots that are cast will not be counted simply because they didn't get there in time or were not returned properly,” explains Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin. The new drop box restrictions have become yet another form of voter suppression that will harm people across both political parties in the upcoming election cycle. They were widely used in the 2020 election (opens in new tab) (and had been in use for many years prior) as an alternative to mailing absentee ballots in order to avoid USPS delays and voting in person to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Ballot drop boxes are locked boxes often monitored by surveillance cameras or election workers during specified hours where voters can drop off their signed and sealed ballots. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions (opens in new tab) and Privacy Policy (opens in new tab) and are aged 16 or over.Īlthough there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election-which has been confirmed again (opens in new tab) and again (opens in new tab) and again (opens in new tab)-limiting the use of ballot drop boxes has become the latest effort in the GOP’s attack on voting rights (opens in new tab) ahead of the 2022 midterm elections (opens in new tab).
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