More unnecessary hurdles to voting in Wisconsin

More hurdles to taking part in our democracy. There are now more hoops to jump through when trying to cast a ballot, thanks to a ruling by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The ruling stipulates that absentee ballots can only be returned to your local clerk’s office, or put in the mail. In past elections, we could fill out our absentee ballot and put it in the drop box outside city hall. But no more. Apparently the court thinks the U.S. Postal Service, which sends La Crosse’s mail to St. Paul, is somehow more secure than putting the ballot in a monitored location at City Hall, right next to the police department. The court also ruled that only the individual voter can return the ballot in person. No longer can you take your spouse’s ballot with you to drop it off, even if you watched them fill it out, and even if you served as a witness as designated by your signature on the envelope. The court did not address whether you can drop your spouse’s ballot in the mailbox which apparently remains legal. There is no need for these rules. Voter fraud is nearly nonexistent in Wisconsin. Clerks referred 12 cases to prosecutors related to the 2020 election, out of more than 3.3 million votes cast. Absentee ballots have been increasingly popular, with more than 40% of ballots cast absentee. This ruling adds yet another unnecessary hurdle for trying to perform our civic duty.