Primary election day in Wisconsin: The return of drop boxes and other things to watch

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It’s primary election day in Wisconsin, and early voting has provided a test run for newly legalized absentee ballot drop boxes.

Wisconsinites’ votes today will determine whether the Legislature can take control of how the governor uses federal funds, who will be their legislative and congressional candidates and, in the few counties with contested clerks’ races, who will manage elections after this year.

Don’t expect a big turnout. Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe said turnout percentages for elections like these typically run in the mid-teens to upper 20s.

That means clerks will likely have fewer ballots to count and some extra time to make sure their processes are running smoothly ahead of November, when they can expect more eyes on them and potential legal challenges. It’s also a time for clerks to make sure their drop boxes are in order (or, in Wausau, to dust off those rusty drop box locks just one more time).

Here’s what’s new and noteworthy for this election day and what to watch for.

The popularity of drop boxes

When drop boxes were last used heavily for a critical statewide election, in 2020, Wisconsin was in the middle of a pandemic, in-person voting options were more limited, and there was less political and legal pushback against the ballot return option. These factors made drop boxes immensely popular.

Now, all polling locations are open again, and drop boxes are more politicized, seemingly scarcer and, depending where you are, not as much in demand.

That said, drop boxes are still a voting option that many Wisconsinites like and are thrilled to see available again. Depending on where you live, your municipality may have more than a dozen drop boxes, or none at all. I’ll be watching out for how many voters use drop boxes and vote absentee in general compared with in-person voting.

I’ll also be watching out for third-party efforts to monitor drop boxes, though we’re not likely to see intense activity until November. As I reported in July , new Wisconsin Elections Commission guidance says voters who use drop boxes must return only their own ballots, unless they’re helping somebody who has a disability or is hospitalized. That means a person returning a spouse’s ballot could be considered as having cast a ballot improperly.

Election conspiracy theorists and a Republican U.S. Senate candidate are already publicizing plans to look for suspicious drop box activity: Are voters returning more than one ballot? Are suspicious people opening drop boxes in the wee hours? As election experts have told me, just the perception of wrongdoing could be enough for a drop box monitor to go public with accusations and create suspicion. I’m curious whether we’ll see such an incident in this election.

Lastly, with drop boxes, I’ll be looking out for how municipalities use them differently.

In Madison, for example, drop boxes closed at 5 p.m. on Monday; voters who have a ballot to drop off must take them to their polling place . In Milwaukee, however, the boxes are open until 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Are the early closing times, like Madison’s, confusing voters who try to return ballots to them on Tuesday? Will Milwaukee be able to gather absentee ballots from drop boxes quickly enough to avoid additional vote-counting delays?

Some legal changes appear imminent but not for this election. For example, a Dane County judge is requiring municipal clerks to provide electronic voting options for people with disabilities. But the order requiring those accommodations is for the November election, not August. A judge recently denied a motion by Republican lawmakers to stay that ruling as they appeal it .

County clerks face off (or, in most cases, don’t)

Wisconsin’s county clerks are up for election this year, and in the vast majority of cases, voters are just going to see just one name on the August and November election ballots. Only about 10% of Wisconsin’s 72 counties will have competitive county-clerk primaries or general elections.

Although municipal clerks are charged with running elections at the local level, county clerks still have significant election responsibilities. They’re tasked with uploading election night results, providing ballots and other election supplies to municipal clerks on time, training other election officials, and conducting recounts.

In most counties, you’ll have the same county clerk at the beginning of the next term. In some, the incumbent may get replaced by a deputy county clerk or a municipal clerk.

There’s one high-stakes race, in Washington County, where Clerk Ashley Reichert, a Republican, is facing a challenge from the right by Sue True, who is advocating radical changes in the way Wisconsinites vote.

“The way to restore our Constitutional Republic is simple,” True said in a blog post . “Pray, Remove the Machines, Vote in Person, Hand Count Paper Ballots.”

Aside from the fact that Wisconsin law requires voting machines in municipalities with 7,500 or more people, multiple reports have outlined how error-prone hand-counting ballots is .

Reichert appears to be favored to win — she has received endorsements from the county executive, legislators, and other local officials — but can True pull off an upset, or show that even a substantial minority of Washington County voters supports the election practices she endorses?

Election conspiracy theorists seek legislative seats

Over the last few years, Republicans in control of the Legislature have largely pushed the chambers’ most fervent election conspiracy theorists to the sidelines. Now, two of them are looking to return to or stay in the Legislature against center-right candidates.

Rep. Janel Brandtjen, formerly the head of the Assembly Elections Committee, was not only relieved of her chairing duties but also kicked out of private Republican meetings as GOP leaders say they lost trust in her.

Former Rep. Tim Ramthun, a Republican who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022, was quickly shut down by legislative leaders when he proposed decertifying the 2020 election.

Brandtjen and Ramthun will be facing off against longtime Republican legislators on Tuesday. Do they stand a chance?

Brandtjen just might. Although she has lost the respect of many of her colleagues, she has former President Donald Trump’s support . Her opponent is Sen. Dan Knodl, currently Republican chair of the Senate Elections Committee. Voters backed Knodl over Brandtjen in a Senate primary in 2023.

This time, the district’s smaller. Do voters in Washington and Waukesha County prefer the candidate who has rallied behind Trump’s stop-the-steal rhetoric? Or do they prefer the center-right candidate in Knodl?

Ramthun, endorsed by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, also represents the GOP wing that’s focused on election conspiracy theories. Ramthun faces an unlikely bid against Sen. Dan Feyen, who’s backed by Republican legislative leaders and Wisconsin U.S. representatives.

It’ll be something of a surprise if Ramthun or Brandtjen wins. If they lose, it’ll be another sign that so-called election integrity is a losing message for Republicans.

Alexander Shur is a reporter for Votebeat based in Wisconsin. Contact Alexander at ashur@votebeat.org .