Lawmakers in New Hampshire and Texas saw them as such a dangerous threat to democracy they banned them outright.
A Wisconsin court ruled them to be illegal.
Now New York lawmakers want to make them an integral part of voting in Suffolk County and across the Empire State.
They are ballot drop boxes. Democratic lawmakers in the New York State Senate passed a bill that would place ballot boxes across the state.
Predictably, reaction to the proposed law split straight across party lines.
“It’s these types of extreme policies pushed by the left that continue to destroy our state. They create more problems than solutions,” posted Senate Republicans on their Twitter page @NYSenateGOP.
"The Senate majority has taken great steps to fix our antiquated electoral system, and this package of bills continues at work to make our system fairer and more accessible," said Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins following the passage of the ballot box bill, which is now in the hands of the New York State Assembly.
Last year, the Democratic let majority refused to pass similar legislation in the 2023 session. Ballot boxes are deemed to be controversial by some and potentially ripe for fraud. Critics contend ballot boxes allow unscrupulous individuals to stuff ballot boxes with multiple votes.
“Even among some democrats, they have some concerns about this as well. Do you really need unsecured ballot boxes sitting all over God's green earth? Even if you think it is a good idea, do you want to rush into it without studying the issue?” asked election law expert and attorney Joseph T. Burns, who previously served as Deputy Director of Election Operations at the New York State Board of Elections.
There appears to be less controversial provisions of the proposed elections bill that passed the New York State Senate, like offering voters non-alcoholic drinks and snacks while waiting in line to vote, creating a centralized registration database for all of New York, strengthening criminal penalties for those engaging in voter suppression, and establishing portable polling places.
The one sticking point for lawmakers in the Assembly: making ballot drop boxes legal here.
“A lot of these ideas, people dream up without studying whether it is needed or feasible. Shouldn't you get some buy-in from people who run elections?” questioned Burns.
Right now “ballot drop boxes” technically exist in New York State. Voters can return their ballots to an early voting site, or bring them to a secure voting machine on Election Day. The difference at those locations is that both Republican and Democratic elections inspectors are present, which could cut down on fraud.
Random ballot drop boxes offer no such election integrity protection.
“We already have a process in place similar to having a drop box. I don’t know of any Republican and Democrat Elections Commissioners that have been consulted. These lawmakers appear to fly by the seat of their pants. There’s no study of the issue or buy in from anyone,” concluded Burns.
For ballot drop boxes and other election proposals to become the law of the land, it would need to pass the New York State Assembly and be signed by Governor Kathy Hochul.