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Did US House Speaker Mike Johnson say Wisconsin ballots cast in drop boxes in the 2020 election should not be counted?

By Tom Kertscher
YES

In December 2020, U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, filed a U.S. Supreme Court brief supporting a lawsuit in a failed effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Johnson was elected House speaker by fellow Republicans Oct. 25, 2023.

The lawsuit, rejected by the court, sought to reverse Joe Biden’s win over Donald Trump by invalidating results in Wisconsin, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Johnson’s brief was filed with 125 other congressional members, including Wisconsin Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany. Johnson argued it was illegal under Wisconsin law to use unmanned drop boxes to collect absentee ballots.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased use of drop boxes nationally in 2020.

Their use did not lead to any cases of fraud, vandalism or theft that could have affected the 2020 result, The Associated Press reported.

In 2022, the state Supreme Court declared drop boxes illegal, ruling absentee ballots must be delivered personally by voters.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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