Like other measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic to make voting easier for Wisconsinites, ballot drop boxes have been the subject of suspicion and misinformation by conservative lawmakers and justices. Donald Trump, who is something of a sore loser, blamed the drop boxes (among other things) for his loss in the state to Joe Biden in November 2020, and the then-conservative majority on the state supreme court ruled in 2022 that they could no longer be used and that ballots could only be returned by mail.
Then in 2023, Wisconsinites voted to take back their democracy by electing Janet Protasiewicz, flipping the majority to liberal, and the wheels of justice began to turn again.
With this most recent decision, in-state absentee voters once again have the option to return their ballots via drop box. Notably, this decision comes as Wisconsinites celebrate Disability Pride Month. Ballot drop boxes make voting more accessible for everyone—especially people with disabilities who experience additional barriers to casting their ballots in person.