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City of Madison

City of Madison Absentee Ballot Drop Boxes Updated Ahead of Primary

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City of Madison ballot drop box design installation

With the August 13 primary election approaching, you may notice some activity around the City of Madison’s 14 absentee ballot drop boxes this week.

The drop boxes, 13 of which are located outside of Madison Fire Stations and one at Elver Park, are getting a refreshed look. The new design is similar to the original look, featuring the City of Madison’s flag, but has been updated to include the latest information on absentee voting.

The new drop box design also includes a QR code directing voters to the MyVote Wisconsin website, where they can track the status of their absentee ballot and ensure it has been collected by the City of Madison Clerk’s Office.

While absentee voting for the August 13 primary election is underway, the drop boxes are not yet operational. The Clerk’s Office will alert the public when the drop boxes are ready to accept ballots.

Crews began installing the updated artwork starting on the City’s east side on Wednesday morning and should finish work on all of the absentee ballot drop boxes sometime Thursday. Each drop box takes around 30-45 minutes to complete.

Crews work to install new designs on the City of Madison absentee ballot drop boxes
A Madison fire truck drives by as new designs are being installed on the ballot drop box outside of the station
Touch ups being done to the new design on a ballot drop box
The finished product of the new ballot drop box design

The new design replaces the design from artist Jenny Holzer that displayed a quote from Sojourner Truth— “Truth is Powerful and Will Prevail” — which was installed on the drop boxes after the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s July 2022 decision that banned the use of absentee ballot drop boxes. The drop boxes were installed across the City in 2020 ahead of the presidential election as a safe and secure way for Madison residents to drop off their ballots during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nearly two years after the decision to ban the use of ballot drop boxes, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the drop boxes were legal, allowing municipalities across the state to use them again.

The City of Madison will share more information in the coming days on the timeline for when the drop boxes will be opened to receive ballots. In the meantime, voters can mail their absentee ballots to the Clerk’s Office, drop them off at the Clerk’s Office downtown, or drop them off at any in-person absentee voting site before Election Day. Voters can also bring absentee ballots to their polling place on Election Day.

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