City installs first absentee ballot drop box

By Brandi Makuski

The City of Stevens Point installed its first of two ballot boxes on Sept. 22.

The box is located in front of the city-side of the County/City Building, 1515 Strongs Ave. A second box will be installed somewhere on the UW-Stevens Point campus. Both boxes are available to city residents to deposit their absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 election. 

Each box costs $2,029, according to City Treasurer Corey Ladick, plus the costs of installation and a concrete base. Ladick said the box at the courthouse was paid for using CARES Act grant funding previously secured by the city.

The drop box on the UWSP campus, which will be installed near the Dreyfus University Center sometime in the next week, was paid for by the Student Government Association, Ladick said.

“Safe and secure options hopefully will encourage more people to participate in our elections,” Mayor Mike Wiza said in a news release. “Making the voting process as simple as possible is something we continually strive for.”

Both boxes are under 24-hour surveillance and will be emptied multiple times a day, Wiza said. 

Absentee ballots can be requested online at myvote.wi.gov, through the City website stevenspoint.com or through the city clerk’s office. Absentee ballots are due in the clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.