Roper: This is what vote fraud in Vermont really looks like

By Rob Roper

The Brattleboro Reformer is reporting a story of potential voter fraud in regard to a vote on the closing of Windham Elementary School. The article states:

A complaint filed by two parents at Windham Elementary School claims three non-residents participated in a controversial vote resulting in the school staying open rather than closing.

The three non-residents — Lisa Beshay, Alex Beshay and Christopher Strecker — are described in the complaint as “political allies” of State Rep. Carolyn Partridge, vice chairwoman of the Windham School Board and member of the Board of Civil Authority. The non-residents all live in the same household in Peru and claim residency in Peru.

The Reformer explains a vote was held on Sept. 7 to determine whether to close the school and offer school choice at the elementary school level. After it initially passed by two votes, Partridge is alleged to have organized a petition for a revote on Nov. 2. That time the measure failed by three votes.

Wikimedia Commons/Jared and Corin

Windham Elementary School

“The defendants have remained on the voter checklist, though being removed from Windham Elementary School due to non-residency, which the School Board was privileged to have access to this information,” the complaint states, the Reformer reported.

The complaint argues Partridge and the Board of Civil Authority “have violated their non-discretionary duties to remove non-residents from the checklist.”

This case has echoes of one from Victory, Vermont, back in 2017, wherein a number of non-residents participated by absentee ballot in an election for town clerk, which resulted in an invalid outcome. This case was adjudicated and the verdict concluded with 11 “voters” being removed from the checklist. In tiny Victory, this represented 13 percent of all registered voters and the margin of victory in the town clerk race.

RELATED SERIES: Voter fraud alleged in Victory

Even more alarming than the evidence of non-residents voting in — and deciding — local elections is the evidence that our top election officials have either no understanding of Vermont election law or no interest in enforcing it. Another piece in the Reformer notes, “The Vermont Secretary of State tells us that people owning a property in Town A but living in Town B, can vote legally in Town A if they express their intention to reside in Town A in the future.”

This is not what Vermont law states! Vermont law defines a legal resident as:

“a natural person who is domiciled [not was or will be] in the State as evidenced by an intent to maintain [not establish] a principal [not secondary] dwelling place in the State indefinitely and to return there when temporarily absent, coupled with an act or acts consistent with that intent.” (Bracketed comments added.)

Anyone living in Town B, to use the provided example, is not domiciled in Town A district and is not maintaining a principle dwelling place in Town A, and therefore is not legally allowed to vote in Town A. Period. Non-negotiable.

Even beyond that, the reference to returning to such a principle dwelling place (should that be what it really is) if temporarily absent would not be validated by law simply by the expressed intent of the voter, but would need further evidence of “act or acts” to support that intent.

Don’t take my word for it. Judge Thomas Devine of the Vermont Superior Court ruled in the Victory case, “domiciled requires having residence ‘coupled with an intention of remaining indefinitely,’ and neither residency or intent alone is enough to establish it.”

That the Vermont secretary of state is giving incorrect instructions about how to enforce Vermont election law — leading to potential election fraud — is unacceptable.

Rob Roper is president of the Ethan Allen Institute. Reprinted with permission from the Ethan Allen Institute Blog.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Jared and Corin

11 thoughts on “Roper: This is what vote fraud in Vermont really looks like

  1. Vt has a communist government.
    How else would Leahy Bernie current govenor & many more in Shelburne remaine in office without voter fraud.
    I don’t know anyone who voted for them. Yet they remain.

  2. Jim Condos brags about Vermont Election Management System (VEMS) and it’s ability to prevent fraud, duplicate registrations etc and it’s tie-in with DMV. It is crap and does no such thing, just ask any Town / City Clerk.

  3. Mail out ballots.
    Suppose you need milk for your child, have no money, and don’t know a thing about politics or candidates?

    Someone offers you $10 for your ballot – deal done. $5?

    A six pack of beer for a ‘homeless’ – deal done

    Will the undeliverable ballots at the post office go in the trash, to be picked – and voted?

  4. UNIPARTY GAMES: CLASS #231

    Yup, they don’t want to enforce……nor would they even ask a judge…

    WHICH BRINGS US BACK TO THE ILLEGAL LT GOVERNOR!!!!!

    Don’t take my word for it. Judge Thomas Devine of the Vermont Superior Court ruled in the Victory case, “domiciled requires having residence ‘coupled with an intention of remaining indefinitely,’ and neither residency or intent alone is enough to establish it.”

    When the opposing side (supposed opposing side) won’t even ask for a ruling, because of course they know how the judge will rule, you’ve just entered the uniparty game zone.

    Uniparty Left, and Uniparty Right are for nothing but power and money, taking both away from the American and Vermont Citizen.

    This of course will be followed up by lots of talk, “can you believe it?” followed up by even more doing of nothing. Will either party do anything???? More doing of nothing, lol.

    Just say no to uniparty games.

  5. Robert,

    Secretary Condos does know better, but he does it anyway, because he knows he can sneak it in, and get away with it, and the Dem/Progs Legislators and VPIRG love him like a security blanket, to give Legislators a leg up in a close election, whether state, local or federal.

    Universal mail-OUT of ballots
    Universal harvesting, as requested by VPIRG
    No signature verification
    No photo ID

    A busload of legal, illegal, resident or not resident folks could show up, claim residency, etc., register the same day, and vote the same day, no questions asked?

    Here is how it is done in Germany, 86 million people

    NO CONCERNS OVER ELECTION FRAUD IN GERMANY
    https://www.dw.com/en/no-concerns-over-election-fraud-in-germany/a-17102003

    The voting process in Germany is strictly regulated to rule out any possible election fraud. Even electronic voting machines, which could malfunction, have been banned by the country’s Constitutional Court.

    “Germany’s election process is quite transparent,” said Klaus Pötzsch of the electoral committee responsible for the organization and running of any federal or EU election in Germany. The committee is trying to make sure that nothing goes wrong. “For instance you could look at the situation in the polling stations. In each station we have eight to nine volunteers helping out.”

    Around 630,000 such volunteers will be at polling places for the federal elections on Sunday. Anyone 18 or older can volunteer, but local authorities might also recruit you to help – and you can only turn down their request if you have a very convincing reason.

    Before polling stations open, the volunteers will check to ensure ballot boxes are indeed empty. During the election they’ll make sure that everybody has an ID with them and can show the documents every citizen receives by mail proving that they are eligible to vote.

    Germany says no to computers, worried they’d make the system vulnerable to fraud

    From Polling Station to Electoral Committee

    The volunteers also take care that voters won’t be influenced. If, for instance, members of one of the political parties were to try to campaign inside the polling stations, they’d have to be stopped.

    The volunteers themselves also have to be impartial on election day – which doesn’t mean they can’t be members of a party. In fact, an intentional mix of volunteers from different political parties is often preferred in order to guarantee the impartiality of the team as a whole.

    At 6 p.m. sharp, the polling stations close and the votes are counted according to a rigid system. “The result then will be passed on from the polling station to the local election authorities who will in turn pass it on to the next level until all the results trickle in at the federal electoral committee.”

    Problems With Postal Vote

    This transparency is supposed to protect the election against fraud. Usually, it’s something that works fine, though Pötzsch said he cannot rule out that there couldn’t be small isolated instances where things don’t work the way they should.

    “Transparency is Key,” explains Klaus Pötzsch

    Manipulation of absentee ballots, which are growing in popularity among Germans, could be easier than election fraud at the ballot box. In cities, as many as 30 percent of voters prefer to cast the ballot by mail rather than heading down to the polling places in person.

    A care-taker in an elderly home might be doing the voting for one of his patients, a husband or wife might tick the box for their spouse. In 2002, local elections in Dachau were rigged when more than 400 postal votes had been manipulated. The fraud only came to light because the 400 ballots had been filled out with the exact same ballpoint pen.

    Voting Machines Unconstitutional

    Germany has in the past used voting machines, as is done in the United States and Brazil. But in 2009, the country’s highest court has banned computers from the voting process on the grounds that the process had to be public. The same goes for counting the votes: “Every single vote has to be read out loudly and noted in a public protocol. Transparency is key,” said Pötzsch.

    “Public” here means that anyone can attend the counting process. And should there be doubts about the results from a certain polling station, it has to be possible to recount the votes. This was, according to the court’s ruling – not possible when voting machines were used.

    German Identity Card

    The German Identity Card (German: Personalausweis) is issued to German citizens by local registration offices in Germany and diplomatic missions abroad, while they are produced at the Bundesdruckerei in Berlin.

    Obligation of Identification

    According to the German law of obligation of identification, it is compulsory for everyone in Germany age 16 or older to possess either an identity card or a passport.

    While police officers and some other government officials have a right to demand to see one of these documents, the law does not stipulate that one is obliged to submit the document at that very moment.

    Acceptance of other official documents (like driving licenses) as proof of identity is not guaranteed, especially for old driving licenses with less security. Driving licenses issued before 2013 are not replaced in Germany, so the same document is kept.

    German citizens travelling inside Europe (except Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine) or to Egypt, Georgia, Montserrat (max.14 days),[2] Turkey, and on organized tours to Tunisia can use their ID card, which is a machine-readable travel document, instead of a passport.[3]

    Just like German passports, German identity cards are valid for ten years (six years if the holder is under 24 on the date of issue).

    The ID card currently costs 37€ (€22.80 if the holder is under 24 on the date of issue).

  6. Voter fraud in Vermont, Nah just ask Jim ” Bend the Rules ” Condos in order for his party
    to gain control !!

    Let’s see out of state college students, tons of non requested mail in ballots, Voter fraud , Nah !!
    just ask the secretary of state Condos, trust me………. sure !!

    • One thing to remember is that the VT Democratic Party perfected the art of stealing an election many years ago.

      2 words. Fred Tuttle.

      • Welcome to the Uniparty Games…..you’ve entered the propaganda zone!

        2 more words

        Ethan Sonneborne

        14 years old running for Governor. How hard do they laugh at us? The propaganda and distraction is unreal in this state.

        • It would be a mistake to think this is prevalent only here in Vermont – its rampant now and we no longer have true elections, or even close. Its pure scam. Once Dominion entered the picture, it was CCP coup complet! And useful idiots or even pay to players like Condos were recruited a LONG time ago by the party behind the curtain, the Chinese Communist Party – now ALL elections, globally, are compromised, taylored de jeur to the useful idiots in place at the time.
          This goes so far beyond mail in ballots.
          The Chinese own us.
          Own that.

          • We are however the tip of the communist spear.

            Time to take away the spear head.

            We could jettison a few chicom actors from supposed American political parties, but for the tea being very weak here in the green mountains.

            Uniparty very strong in Green Mountains!

  7. Vermont’s current Secretary of State, Jim Condos has no qualms about rearranging election law to suit his (now majority) party. Just prior 2020 elections, Condos enabled rampant voter fraud in concert with the legislature (that majority party thing again) by instituting the mail in balloting scheme that remains. This potential case of fraud highlights Condos and his majority parties disregard for election integrity. The fact a state representative may be involved is not surprising, nor should it surprise when nothing results from the investigation.
    Really makes one question what the real results of Vermont’s 2020 elections were.

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