Donovan, Johnson Clash On Drop Boxes

A Wisconsin Supreme Court case over the legality of ballot drop boxes would be a moot point in Milwaukee if Robert Donovan is elected mayor.

“I’d get rid of them,” said Donovan during an appearance before the Rotary Club of Milwaukee. “I want to make voting as accessible as possible and cheating out of the question.”

He said the drop boxes were designed as an emergency measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I don’t know that that’s the best way to go,” he said. “Do we or do we not have an obligation to ensure that our elections are squeaky clean?”

Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson‘s campaign was quick to issue a response. “It’s sad to see my former colleague fall into the abyss of conspiracy theories,” said Johnson. “Dropboxes are a secure and convenient way for people to cast their ballots. We need to increase access to the polls, and make it easier for citizens to vote, not harder.”

Johnson accused Donovan of amplifying unfounded lies from Michael Gableman, Michael Lindell and Michael Flynn.

Milwaukee, backed by a nonprofit grant, was one of a handful of Wisconsin cities to install a series of secured, unmanned drop boxes in 2020 for people to return absentee ballots.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty sued in July 2021, arguing that no state statute explicitly endorses their use. In January, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael Bohren ruled in WILL’s favor, but the Wisconsin Supreme Court allowed the drop boxes to be used for the Feb. 15 primary election. They are now prohibited while the case is pending.

The Milwaukee Election Commission has a partial solution for absentee voters that do not wish to use the United States Postal Service to return their ballot. The city’s early voting sites can be used as return sites because they are staffed.

Donovan voted absentee in April and November 2020 according to state records, but the state system does not indicate how the ballot was returned. He did not vote in 2021, and voted in person in the February primary.

The two mayoral candidates have made a number of joint public appearances in recent weeks as they make their case for who should serve as Milwaukee’s next mayor.

You can watch Donovan’s entire Rotary Club appearance on the group’s YouTube page. Johnson is scheduled to address the organization next week.