Ballot drop boxes will be used in Dodge County, sheriff reports in correction after Trump rally

BEAVER DAM, Wis. (WMTV) – Sheriff Dale Schmidt corrected false statements he made at former President Donald Trump’s rally when he said ballot drop boxes would not be used in Dodge County.

“From time to time, corrections must be made when a statement is found to be false,” Sheriff Schmidt wrote on Facebook.

He is referring to a public statement he made at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s rally in Juneau on Sunday. The sheriff shook Trump’s hand and said into the microphone that ballot drop boxes would not be used in Dodge County.

On Wednesday, Sheriff Schmidt corrected that statement on Facebook, claiming election officials had not told him about the ballot drop boxes that had been in use in Beaver Dam since Sept. 19.

Beaver Dam City Clerk Tracey Ferron declined to speak on camera Thursday but said her staff was concerned about constituent confusion when they saw the sheriff make those false statements Sunday.

According to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, it is up to municipal officials to decide whether or not to use ballot drop boxes. Ferron decided to take advantage of them and opened two in the Beaver Dam Municipal Building on September 19th.

One is bolted to the ground and the other is attached to the building, with security cameras trained on both. The Beaver Dam drop boxes are the same boxes used to drop off water bills and are only accessible to the clerk’s office.

At MyVoteWI, people can find out online whether their polling stations have ballot boxes. You can also view the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s ballot drop box rules here.

Sheriff Schmidt respectfully declined to discuss his comments on camera. His statement on Facebook read as follows:

Dropbox fix

It is important to ensure we report accurate information. Corrections may need to be made from time to time if a statement turns out to have been incorrect.

Previously, Sheriff Dale Schmidt was informed by election officials that there were no drop boxes in Dodge County. This was communicated to the public so that they know that elections in Dodge County are secure and that law enforcement can properly investigate reported suspected illegal voting activity. Additional information has since been shared and was provided to the sheriff just last night.

It is now reported that there are several mailboxes in the county and it is assumed that these are permitted as they are typically utility payment boxes. Historically they have been used as mailboxes, although this was not the intended legal purpose of these utility mailboxes. It is our understanding that some of these ballot boxes were also set up as ballot boxes to address the issue. The vast majority of elections in Dodge County are still not conducted by drop box.

The Sheriff’s Office hopes that municipalities that have chosen to use these mailboxes will use best practices and have camera coverage, ensure proper preservation of all video of the mailboxes as required by law, and that the mailboxes will be constructed to allow for the possibility of Fraud is limited and the ability to certify that the people who put them in mailboxes are following the laws set by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Additionally, the Sheriff would like to make it clear that the intention to focus on mailboxes is to ensure compliance with the recent Supreme Court ruling. This is a reminder that the Supreme Court limits the person using a mailbox to placing their own ballot only in a mailbox. You may not drop off a family member or friend’s ballot unless that person is confined to their home or other location and cannot vote in person.

As a reminder, there is ample opportunity for everyone to vote in Dodge County. You can do this in person at your local office before Election Day or at your polling place on Election Day. You can also request a postal vote by post. We encourage and want everyone to vote, but everyone can only vote once.

If anyone has evidence of illegal election activity, we encourage the public to immediately forward that information to law enforcement for investigation.

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