Ballot Drop Box Locations & Schedule

Yes, until 6pm.

Special consideration is given for Election Day as it is necessary to lock permanent dropboxes by election night. Our specially trained ballot collection teams will retrieve ballots throughout the day and specific times. Dropboxes are closed after the final retrieval at 6:00pm on Election Day to ensure all mail ballots arrive to Central Count by 8pm when the polls close and we are no longer allowed to accept ballots.

If you need to drop off your ballot after a dropbox has been closed, you can deliver your mail ballot in person until 8pm at our Central Count location. Details regarding Central Count can be found in your mail-in ballot instructions or on our website.

A voter may return their own ballot.

An assistant may also return the ballot of anyone they are lawfully assisting, such as a voter with an illness, disability and/or a hospitalized voter. An individual is permitted to assist more than one disabled or hospitalized absentee voter.

These principles were issued in Commission guidance following the litigation in Carey v. WEC, and are unchanged by the Priorities USA decision.

Pursuant to Wisconsin State Statute 6.87(9)Sub.(4)(b) the City of Milwaukee lawfully utilizes secure drop boxes.  That subsection of the State Satute is quoted below.

1.allows the use of ballot drop boxes. Clerks may lawfully utilize secure drop boxes in an exercise of their statutorily-conferred discretion. The statute does not specify a location to which a ballot must be returned and requires only that the ballot be delivered to a location the municipal clerk, within the municipal clerk’s discretion, designates. Priorities USA v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, 2024 WI 32, 412 Wis. 2d 594, 8 N.W.3d 429, 24-0164.

Yes, following the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), US Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) guidance, the Milwaukee Election Commission has:

• --At least one dropbox for every 15,000–20,000 registered voters.
• --Securely installed in communities with historically low vote by mail usage and in locations that are convenient, ADA accessible, close to public transportation routes, and public buildings familiar to residents and easy to find.  
• --Dropbox locations have:
  • --a well-lit area,
  • --clear visibility on an accessible path;
  • --24-hour security cameras; and are
  • --installed with security and voter convenience in mind.
• --The design of the dropbox is developed so that it can withstand the elements, especially Wisconsin winters, without damaging the ballots inside.
• --The Milwaukee Election Commission has specially trained election officials who are in charge of tracking and recording the chain of custody.
• --The Milwaukee Election Commission regularly inspects, documents, and repairs any damage to the dropboxes.
• --The Milwaukee Election Commission has established a strong working relationship with local law enforcement officials and any suspected tampering will be reported and investigated by local law enforcement officials as necessary.
• --Signage is available on or near the dropbox to report the time of final retrieval.
• --Dropboxes are permanently installed and specially designed to be secured and prevent tampering. 
• --Once dropboxes are officially closed on Election Day, they are secured shut to prevent the submission of mail ballots after the final retrieval.

The City of Milwaukee Election Commission believes in fair, secure, and transparent elections. Any member of the public is permitted to watch dropboxes that are located in the public space, however they cannot interfere with voting. 

State law dictates that whoever, “interrupt[s], or disturb[s] the voting…proceedings” may be fined not more than $1000, or imprisoned not more than 6 months or both (see Wis. Stat. §§12.13(3)(x), 12.60b(1)(b)). Additionally, anyone who, “by abduction, duress, or any fraudulent device or contrivance, impede[s] or prevent[s] the free exercise of the franchise of an election” is guilty of a Class I felony. (see Wis. Stat. §§12.09(2),12.60(1)(a)).

Voters who are dropping off their own ballots, or assisting another voter due to a disability are not required to answer any questions from private citizens watching a dropbox. 

The Milwaukee Election Commission will contact authorities if anyone tampers with, defaces, destroys, unlawfully empties, or interrupts, impedes or prevents the use of a dropbox.

Dropboxes are specially constructed for ballots and they are manufactured in the U.S. with durable heavy-duty steel and are permanently bolted into the ground. Along with physical security, dropbox operations also include:

• --24-hour recorded video surveillance cameras
• --Located in a well-lit area
• --Official Milwaukee Election Commission signage
• --Heavy Duty key-access locks
• --Security seals and tags
• --Robust tracking and chain of custody
• --Only specially trained election officials have access to dropboxes
• --Located on City property with regularly staffed security personnel with 24-hour access to cameras.
• --Law enforcement access to security cameras, as necessary.

Once ballots are retrieved, and secured in an official ballot bag, the ballot collection team will immediately return to our secure ballot processing center, where ballots are immediately processed and stored in our secure ballot room. Mail ballots remain secured in the ballot room until Election Day. On Election Day, all eligible mail ballots are opened and counted at the City’s Central Count Processing Center.

Some voters prefer to deliver their mail ballots to a dropbox rather than sending them back through the mail. Some voters may want additional privacy for their signature, and bypass mail delivery as a result. Voters may also be worried about getting their ballot to us by Election Day.  

Having the option of dropboxes to return mail ballots allows voters to return their ballot in time for election day. This is especially critical in situations where early voting has ended and the required mailing process may risk the ballot arriving after election day and therefore not being counted.

The City of Milwaukee has secure dropboxes located throughout the city, near public transportation adding further convenience to the voter and confidence that their vote will be secured and counted in time for Election Day.

Setting up ballot dropboxes and educating voters to use them mitigates a number of public health related risks associated with in-person voting. It also minimizes the number of people that will need to access voting locations, thereby providing more space for those who are engaged in in-person voting.

Specially trained election officials, who have taken an oath, work in pairs as part of a ballot collection team securely retrieve mail ballots inside of a dropbox. Always in pairs, the ballot collection team utilizes the following materials/equipment to retrieve ballots:

• --Election Official photo ID badge
• --High-visibility vest with City of Milwaukee
• --City-issued vehicle
• --Tablet to track the chain of custody, and take photos
• --A cellphone
• --A secure ballot courier bag
• --Tamper evident security seals and locks
• --Chain of custody procedures and forms

Chain of custody refers to the paper trail that documents the transfer of important documents from one person to the next. It is essential to fair, secure and transparent elections.  When a chain of custody is initiated, it requires election officials to follow and document every single step. Whenever ballots are moved or processed, the City of Milwaukee Election Commission tracks and records those actions to ensure the chain of custody, this includes the operation of dropboxes. Chain of custody tracking is completed every time ballots are retrieved from dropboxes and delivered to our Election Operations Center.