WAUSAU – Wausau voters will likely see the return of the absentee ballot drop box before the Aug. 13 primary election as an option to turn in their ballots following a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling.
The drop box was removed from its space in front of city hall in April to have its lock fixed, City Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde told a Wausau Daily Herald reporter. The lock was damaged by winter salt and snow. She said she intends to have the drop box back by Aug 1.
“It’s really critical that last week before elections when the post office doesn’t recommend mailing a ballot back,” Bernarde said. “If people are working, away at college or they’re homebound, and they can’t get here during our 8 to 4:30, it’s a great option for people to be able to still turn in their absentee ballots.”
The city installed the box in front of city hall in 2020 as it anticipated, and received, a lot of absentee ballots due to public health recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bernarde said the city received over 13,000 absentee ballots in the November 2020 election.
As of the morning of July 16, the city clerk’s office had sent out about 2,200 absentee ballots for the Aug. 13 primary and had already received just under 1,500 back. In April, the clerk’s office sent out about 2,800 ballots and received about 2,700 of them back. Over 8,600 Wausau residents voted in April.
The clerk’s office is receiving daily requests for absentee ballots, according to Bernarde. In Wisconsin, ballots for federal elections begin to be sent out by clerks 47 days before the election, or the end of June for the August primary.
Prior to the July 5 Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling, which restored the ability of municipal clerks to utilize secure drop boxes to collect absentee ballots, Wausau’s ballot drop box was being repurposed as a utility and tax payment drop box.
“It’s a nice box. It’s secure, it was bolted to the ground, in a well-lit area with a security camera on it,” Bernarde said. “It is larger and can hold more payments and things, especially during the busy tax season.”
Last Thursday, Wisconsin’s nonpartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission issued guidelines for how clerks can utilize absentee ballot drop boxes following the Supreme Court ruling. The guidelines included placing the drop boxes in well-lit areas, reporting damage to the boxes and emptying them before they are full.
“We are still reviewing (WEC’s) guidance but internally we want to make sure that we are diligent and transparent on recording how people have returned their ballots to ensure that they’ll have trust in this option of delivery,” Bernarde said. “We will continue our current process of making sure we have records of how people return their ballot, whether it was in person, via the mail, or the drop box, as well as we have an absentee ballot log of many issues that people have with their ballots if they need to be spoiled or reissued, etc.”
Bernarde pointed out one section of the WEC guidance on the use of absentee ballot drop boxes regarding election observers. She said people are allowed to observe people returning ballots to drop boxes but may not interfere with someone placing ballots inside it nor intimidate them as they are doing so. This guidance is similar to rules for election observers at polling sites on Election Day or at sites where in-person absentee voting occurs.
Bernarde said the calls she receives most often during elections are from parents or college voters asking how they can turn their ballots in outside of the clerk’s office business hours.
Who can request an absentee ballot?
Any qualifying elector may request an absentee ballot. A qualifying elector is a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age or older, who has resided in the district in which he or she intends to vote for at least 28 consecutive days, according to WEC. A voter must be registered in their district in order to obtain an absentee ballot.
For most people, online and mail requests for absentee ballots must be made by 5 p.m. five days prior to an election. In-person absentee voting is available until the Sunday before a Tuesday election.
How does a Wausau voter request an absentee ballot?
Voters in Wausau may request an absentee ballot online at myvote.wi.gov or by mailing or otherwise taking a completed Absentee Ballot Application, which can be found on the city clerk's voter info website or the WEC website, to the clerk's office inside City Hall located at 407 Grant St.
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Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK - Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at epfantz@gannett.com.
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