Absentee ballot drop boxes may be locked soon

If you are like many people, whether because of the pandemic or simply convenience, you are choosing to vote with an absentee ballot. The number of absentee voters has spiked sharply in our most recent elections. But in Wisconsin, it may soon get more difficult to vote absentee. The State Supreme Court has ruled that drop boxes like those outside La Crosse City Hall can be used for this month’s primary, but not for the April election. This is likely not the final word on the issue, but it seems soon those ballot drop boxes will be locked or removed. That is unfortunate. We should be making it as easy and convenient for people to vote as we can. The group behind the suit, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, argues that because drop boxes are not specifically addressed in state law, they must be illegal. But our local clerks worked hard to make sure everyone could get their ballots cast and counted during a pandemic, offering in some cases, curbside voting, PPE equipment and hand sanitizer at the polls. None of those are specifically mentioned in state statute either, but it seems the prudent thing to do in the midst of a pandemic.