Wisconsin mayor who removed ballot drop box ahead of 2024 elections won't be charged

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin mayor who carted away a drop box intended for absentee ballots before any votes were cast in the 2024 election won't face any charges, a special prosecutor announced Wednesday.

Wausau Mayor Doug Diny posed for photos wearing a hard hat and work gloves as he removed the drop box from outside City Hall in September 2024. City workers hadn't yet unlocked the box but voters had started to receive their absentee ballots, according to the city's elections clerk, Kaitlyn Bernarde.

The move became a flashpoint over whether communities in swing state Wisconsin should allow absentee ballot drop boxes. Diny returned the box a week later after Bernarde raised questions about election integrity. The mayor denied he did anything wrong, saying the box was not secured to the ground and that anyone could have stolen it so he decided to secure it in City Hall.

The city’s ethics board determined in October 2024 that Diny violated Wausau's ethics policy. A state Justice Department investigation found no basis for charges.


https://www.wxpr.org/wisconsin-news/2026-04-08/wisconsin-mayor-who-removed-ballot-drop-box-ahead-of-2024-elections-wont-be-charged?_amp=true