Judge Rules Absentee Ballot Drop Boxes Illegal in Wisconsin

A Wisconsin judge ruled Thursday that the absentee ballot drop boxes are illegal under state law, a decision that could impact voting ahead of the swing state’s midterm elections.

Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael Bohren ordered the Wisconsin Elections Commission to retract its instructions to election officials on how to use drop boxes. He declared that the Commission overstepped its authority in issuing the guidance in the first place, per Just the News.

Bohren called the Commission’s guidance a “major policy decision that alter[s] how our absentee ballot process operates.”

The guidance in question was issued in March of 2020 and again in August of 2020 leading up to the 2020 presidential election. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more voters were looking to vote by mail.

Bohren’s ruling will likely be appealed.