Hi, this is Emily calling from Yukota Air Base in Tokyo, Japan, where I just watched Air Force One take off for its long trip back to the US.

This podcast was recorded at...

It is 135 Eastern on Tuesday, May 24th.

Things may have changed by the time you hear it. Alright, here's the show.

Our friend, Osmo Hallad, is on that airplane right now, and as we tape, it is in between Alaska and Washington, DC.

Slowly making its way back to the US.

Hi, Osmo. I'm sure she'll listen to this, you know, while she's like passing in and out of sleep.

Hey there, it's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Scott Detro, I cover the White House.

I'm Barbara Spren, I cover politics.

I'm Miles Parks, I cover voting.

Miles and Barbara, I'm very excited to podcast with both of you for the first time.

You are two of my favorite NPR people, so it's fun to be on the podcast with you.

I'm excited, it's finally happening.

Yeah, I wouldn't miss it.

So we are here with the two of you talking about voting, which is no surprise whenever you hear Miles, of course.

But voters are at the polls right now, and in two states that recently passed high profile new voting laws, Georgia and Texas.

We will talk about that tomorrow. Today we're going to focus on another state, Wisconsin.

And here we're talking about a judicial ruling. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is weeks away from giving guidance on an appeal of a case from January.

When a county judge sided with the conservative legal group on the question of whether voters in Wisconsin can continue to get assistance to return ballots.

Barbara, you were in Wisconsin reporting on this. Tell us a little bit more about this case and why it matters.

Yeah, so a county judge ruled earlier this year that ballot drop boxes, which were widely used in the 2020 election, aren't allowed under state law.

And that voters have to return their absentee ballots themselves, so either putting them in the mailbox or giving them to a county clerk.

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