Ballot drop boxes reopen in Milwaukee, other suburbs

Absentee boxes were banned for several years before recent court ruling

Shut down for years by a state Supreme Court ruling, absentee ballot drop boxes are reappearing in Wisconsin this week, given a new lease on life.

“The Milwaukee Election Commission has been working diligently to get our drop boxes back in operation,” said Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Paulina Gutierrez Monday, August 5, 2024.

A recent ruling overturned the ban on the boxes, which the city of Milwaukee insists are a safe, secure way to drop off absentee ballots.

“All of our drop boxes are under 24-hour video surveillance, they’re specially manufactured for ballots, so they’re very secure, made out of durable heavy-duty steel,” Gutierrez said. “We have been meeting with law enforcement and we are prepared to deal with issues and can immediately access those cameras if we need to.”

One important change, the ballots must be in the box by 6 p.m. on Election Day, to give the pick-up teams plenty of time to get the ballots to the counting locations by 8 p.m., when polls close.

About a dozen Milwaukee County suburbs will also have absentee ballot drop boxes in place.

Ballot drop boxes in Milwaukee County

• Brown Deer
• Whitefish Bay
• Shorewood
• Wauwatosa
• Milwaukee
• West Allis
• West Milwaukee
• Cudahy
• Greendale
• South Milwaukee
• Franklin
• Oak Creek

And in Milwaukee, the ballot pick-up has already begun.

“Now with drop boxes we’ve hired ballot collection teams,” Gutierrez said. “We have about 23 people that have been trained and are ready to go, and will be doing so starting Monday, August 5, 2024 picking up those ballots from our drop boxes.”

Ballot drop boxes are permitted statewide, but it’s up to each community whether to have them or not.

Absentee voting is underway for the Aug. 13 primary election.