Republicans Argue Over Bill to Ban Ballot Drop Boxes
Backers cite views of President Trump. A GOP critic says it's not 'reality-based.'
An absentee ballot drop box is seen on the east side of Madison on Sept. 22, 2024. Alyssa Allemand/WPR
A Republican bill that would ban absentee ballot drop boxes in Wisconsin spurred debate among GOP lawmakers Tuesday about whether the proposal is based in reality.
The discussion highlighted a potential rift in the party between those who think the GOP should pass election bills that could become law in Wisconsin and those who want Republicans to closely adhere to the wishes of President Donald Trump.
During a Tuesday hearing before the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections, state Rep. Lindee Brill, R-Sheboygan Falls, said her legislation “might be one of the shortest bills of the session.” With just one line, it states “no municipality may employ a drop box” for collecting absentee ballots.
Since 2020, drop boxes have become a flashpoint in states like Wisconsin because Trump and others have claimed, without confirmed evidence, that they’re a source of widespread election fraud.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s former conservative majority ruled the receptacles were illegal in 2022. In 2024, a year after liberal justices retook the Supreme Court’s majority, they reinstated drop boxes in Wisconsin.
Brill, who was elected in November, said drop boxes hurt peoples’ faith in elections and thanked Trump for “leading the charge on this.”
“And I’m thankful for the opportunity to get to talk about it, because this is true election reform that our state needs,” said Brill.
Rep. Scott Krug, R-Rome, said he had a “reality-based problem” with the bill and asked Brill whether she thinks Evers would sign it. The answer was “no,” but Brill said as a “follower of Jesus Christ,” she does believe there’s a chance the Democratic governor could have a change of heart.
“But I’m taking this head-on because our Republican president believes this is the direction we should be heading,” Brill said.
Krug seemed frustrated.
“It’s not going to change the Supreme Court’s opinion on drop boxes. It’s not going to change the governor’s opinion on drop boxes,” Krug said. “We still have a problem in our communities, and that’s what I’m trying to get to is, knowing, politically, where we are and dealing with realities.
”Krug asked if she would be open to creating statewide standards for drop boxes that Evers could potentially sign. Brill said that’s not what her bill is about and she wasn’t open to amending it.
Republicans try again to axe indefinitely confined voter ballot process
Another bill discussed during Tuesday’s hearing that stems from Trump’s claims about the 2020 election aims to clamp down on what are called “indefinitely confined voters” in Wisconsin.
Under state law, people who sign statements can get absentee ballots sent to their residences without having to show a photo ID. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of the statute skyrocketed. Since then, Republicans have tried unsuccessfully to change the law.
A bill coauthored by Krug would eliminate the indefinitely confined voter process starting Jan. 1, 2029. But people would be able to apply with their local election clerks in order to get absentee ballots sent for every election, so long as they provide proof of their identity.
“We hear a lot of stories about individuals who have applied for indefinitely confined status under current law, who are seen out in the community, and it creates some mistrust of individuals who know what status they’ve claimed,” said Krug.
Krug said the reason his bill wouldn’t go into effect for another four years is “to avoid the politics of a governor’s election, to avoid the politics of a presidential election.”
Rep. Dave Maxey, R-New Berlin, the committee’s chair, told Krug he wants to see the bill amended so those receiving absentee ballots under the new process would have to apply with their local clerks every year. Krug said he’s open to that, but disability rights groups would call that a burden for their members.
Krug also said he was initially thinking about waiting until the Legislature’s next session to introduce the measure due to the prospect of a new governor or different parties controlling the state Assembly or Senate.
“This is one of those things that other people have solved. Wisconsin could do better on that,” said Krug.
Democrats on the committee were opposed to the changes. A panel of local elections officials warned it would create much more work for them and that the state’s WisVote computer system doesn’t have a way for them to scan of voters’ ID cards. Marathon County Clerk Kim Trueblood said the current system for indefinitely confined voters works and urged lawmakers not to change it.
“The confusion this is going to create and the extra workload this is going to put on our municipal clerks, I think, is just untenable,” said Trueblood.
Attempts by Republican lawmakers to change Wisconsin’s indefinitely confined voter statute date back to 2021. In 2023, Evers vetoed a similar bill claiming it “targets certain voters” and was part of ongoing efforts by GOP legislators “to make it more difficult for eligible voters to vote.”
GOP bill to ban ballot drop boxes in Wisconsin spurs intraparty debate was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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