Social media reacts as Phil Scott approves universal vote by mail

Michael Bielawski/TNR

NON-SECURE ELECTIONS: Live ballots will be sent to every active voter on Vermont’s statewide voter checklist during general elections, despite repeated warnings that clerks can’t verify who sends them back in.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed S.15 making universal vote-by-mail permanent for Vermont’s elections going forward, and the reaction on social media has been swift and largely supportive, despite the bill’s lack of security safeguards.

Mail-in voting is a controversial election method that has been banned in some countries. And some U.S. states require an excuse to use it, as critics say the method is vulnerable to election fraud. On Monday, Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos on Twitter praised the insecure voting method on Twitter.

The governor not only embraced the expanded voting options for Vermont’s general elections, but said it would be used for smaller, local elections, such as primaries and for school budgets.

Scott’s actions are contrary to the direction of his party’s membership nationwide. A new poll by Quinnipiac University found that two-in-three Republicans nationwide do not believe that Biden’s election victory was legitimate. The same poll found just one in four say that Biden is the legitimate president.

Many responses to the bill’s signing are positive. Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint, D-Windham, posted that she only sees good out of sending active ballots to everyone on the lists, calling it a “win for democracy!”

https://twitter.com/BeccaBalintVT/status/1402011080554074117

Balint also shared that the NY Times reported on Vermont’s election changes.

https://twitter.com/BeccaBalintVT/status/1402243323486670851

VPR’s Bob Kinzel tweeted that Vermont is moving away from restricting access to voting.

Tim McQuiston, editor of Vermont Business Magazine, tweeted that the prior method of having to contact one’s town office to obtain a ballot may have been too restrictive.

Frequent social media political commentator Dave Silberman, who also serves as high bailiff for Addison County, suggested that Scott only signed the bill to win political points.

Critics of the measure have repeatedly warned that the bill, as written, lacks any security measures. In a recent commentary criticizing Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos, Rob Roper, president of the Ethan Allen Institute, noted that town clerks and even the director of elections testified there is no way to know who sends in votes by mail, and that votes cast fraudulently would “almost certainly be processed and counted.”

Rep. Samantha Lefebvre, R-Orange, is one of two Republicans in the House Government Operations Committee. Lefebvre said the state is going to be mailing all these ballots out and “then not then not knowing who’s actually going to end up getting it, and not being able to confirm who gets it back.”

Elsewhere in the nation, an election audit of an Arizona county recently determined that 11 percent of mail-in ballots were determined defective. One recent incident, also reported from Arizona, involved ballots being allegedly stolen out of mailboxes and discarded under rocks at a farm.

Across state lines in New Hampshire, Democrat Secretary of State Bill Gardner, the longest-serving SOS in the nation’s history, told Washington lawmakers this year that expanding mail-in balloting would “damage voter confidence … [and] ultimately result in lower voter turnout.”

Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.

Images courtesy of TNR and Michael Bielawski/TNR

27 thoughts on “Social media reacts as Phil Scott approves universal vote by mail

  1. We Vermonters already had the right to vote by mail. All you had to do was request an absentee ballot. I have done this in the past myself. There was no need for this new “right”. It is nothing more than a corrupt power grab by the Dems and Progs, aided and abetted by our treacherous governor. Phil Scott, you are no Republican. You are quite at home in the Democratic Party. Why not go there?

  2. Does anyone in the state of Vermont believe flip flop Phil the socialist?

    He says voting for Biden was the first time he voted against the republican party. He is hell bent on the destruction of the Republican party.

    I guess he forgot about lying to us when he signed gun bills after promising never to do such a thing.

    Phil Scott is just like “CHEAP TOILET PAPER”…he should never be trusted.

  3. Many people need to be voted out of office, if they aren’t we will be in worse trouble.

  4. It is worth noting that Governor Scott has vetoed more bills than any other governor in the history of Vermont. Even so, there are times when he needs to pick his battles. What is sadly lacking is enough Republicans and Independents in the House and Senate to provide the necessary back-up to curbing some of the impractical measures now being proposed and passed as laws.

    Castigating those who some feel are not pure enough is not the answer. Running thoughtful Republican candidates in all races in the state is. This however requires real work not just gripping. If the work is done, the results, as in the defeat of former Speaker of the House Mitzi Johnson, can be of consequence.

    • John,

      With this universal mail-in voting law, it will be even harder for any Republican to get elected, especially with the counting in Dem/Prog-controlled counting centers.

      That is the reason the law “sailed at top speed” through the legislature; some RINO Republicans voted for it as well. Tsk, tsk.

      That is the reason the Republican Legislatures are closing the wide-open gaps in their loosey-goosey voting laws.

      Pelosi tried to cancel all these efforts, and more, with HER 900-page voting law, but it appears to go nowhere, because of one Senator with a conscience regarding what is best for the NATION.

      BALLOT STUFFING/MISCOUNTING IS ALIVE AND WELL in Vermont, as it is in New Hampshire (Windham County)

      Here is an item that has nothing to do with voter fraud.

      It has to do with “vote-counting” fraud, BEFORE AND AFTER THE POLLS ARE CLOSED.

      Counting machine “reprogramming” is easily performed, within minutes, so they count in “preferred ways”, as was demonstrated on video by experts.

      Vote counting can be two or more days after the polls are closed, but the tape reads Nov 3, as demonstrated on video. Yikes.

      • Willem,

        Do you have any examples of ballot stuffing/miscounting in Vermont? Having served as an election official for around 20 years in my town, have not seen any evidence at all of this. In every election, every participant from whatever party have always been dedicated to accuracy and fairness.

        While I prefer and have advocated for in person and traditional absentee voting, if fraud in Vermont is indeed so easy, how does a powerful politician like Mitzi Johnson get defeated by a few votes?

        • John,

          She is a poor campaigner and a relative newcomer beat her, plus she made a big push for RE, which was not where her constituents wanted to go.

          She had no idea regarding her vote getting abilities; somewhat disconnected.

          A recount showed she lost.

          A FORENSIC recount, which has never been performed in Vermont, might show more details regarding the actual ballots, and the counting of the votes by machines.

          In Windham, NH, a major brou-ha-ha developed, after a Democrat requested a recount.

          STATE AND LOCAL ELECTION REFORMS TO REDUCE FRAUD ARE LONG OVERDUE
          https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/state-and-local-election-reforms-are-long-overdue

          COUNTING ERROR in New Hampshire
          https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/state-and-local-election-reforms-are-long-overdue

          The hand recount of the Windham (Rockingham District 7) New Hampshire House 2020 race revealed Dominion election counting machines under-counted all four Republicans by about 300 votes. Gee, how is this possible?

          This was no a trivial matter. The difference was 1,363 votes out of 10,006 vote cast, 13.63%

          A forensic audit, mandated by the NH Legislature, had determined the reason for the huge discrepancy between the election day results and subsequent recount of Windham’s November 3, 2020, State Rep. race where a difference of 1,363 total votes from just 10,006 ballots was uncovered.
          https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/04/update-new-hampshire-house-passes-sb43-mandate-audit-windhams-disturbing-2020-election-results/

          This miscount was revealed, because St. Laurent, Democrat, who lost by 24 votes, challenged the count, and got a recount.

          Soti, Republican was credited with an additional 297 votes
          St. Laurent lost 99 votes
          As a result, instead of losing by 24 votes, St. Laurent ended up losing by 420 votes!!! Yikes!!

          St. Laurent must not be glad she asked for a recount, because the recount of the votes of the other 3 Republicans showed each of them had been shorted about 300 votes as well.

          Here are the results before and after the recount:

          Soti, Republican, before recount 4480 votes, after recount 4777 votes, gain 297 votes
          St. Laurent, before recount 4456, after recount 4357, a LOSS of 99 votes
          Margin, before recount 24, after recount 420.

          Griffin, Republican, before recount 5292, after recount 5591 votes, gain 299 votes
          Azibert, Democrat, before recount 2787 votes, after recount 2808 votes, gain 28 votes
          Margin, before recount 2505 votes, after recount 2783 votes

          Lyon, Republican, before recount 4786 votes, after recount 5039 votes, gain 303 votes
          Roman, Democrat, before recount 3415 votes, after recount 3443 votes, gain 28 votes
          Margin, before recount 1371 votes, after recount 1646 votes

          McMahon, Republican, before recount 5256 votes, after recount 5554 votes, gain 298 votes
          Singueau, Democrat, before recount 2764 votes, after recount 2782 votes, gain 18 votes
          Margin, before recount 2492 votes, after recount 2772 votes

          Windham had used a ballot folding machine that caused a fold to be in the same place as a bubble. As a result, the counting machine rejected votes. Other Towns likely did not use a folding machine.

          NOTE: Late night visit by NH election official, as watched over by NH state police, at 11:15 pm on Wednesday, May 12, to add 4 more boxes with ballots. The Windham Town clerk had signed off on 23 boxes, but now the auditors have 27?

          Why was an associate NH Attorney General, caught on camera, in the building in which were stored the “secured” Windham Ballots, at 11:15 PM, Wednesday night.
          Right after that time, the surveillance cameras GO BLANK for about one hour!!!
          What in hell was she doing?

          http://www.truenorthreports.com/associate-nh-ag-caught-on-camera-with-the-secured-windham-ballots-at-1115-p-m-wed-night-then-cameras-go-out
          https://granitegrok.com/blog/2021/05/why-was-ann-edwards-from-the-nh-ag-with-the-secured-windham-ballots-at-1115-pm-wed-night

          • Willem,

            So, the answer is there is no evidence of your claim of ballot stuffing in Vermont. Over the years there have been a number of very close races including the seat for the House District in Royalton/Tunbridge which in past years went back and forth between the Republican and Democratic candidate and were decided by one or two votes. Never has there been any evidence or even claims of ballot stuffing.

            Again, while I am not in favor of mailing ballots, Vermont Town Clerks and election officials take things very seriously. Unless you have actual evidence of voter fraud or “ballot stuffing and miscounting being alive and well in Vermont” best not to make this charge as it lessen the credibility of situations where there has been a problem with a ballot machine like in New Hampshire.

          • John Freitag,

            You mean, ballot counting errors by machines cannot occur in Vermont, but was proven to occur, using the same machines, in New Hampshire?

            It was also proven in NH, machine counts made on November 5th, which would have printed a tape dated November 5th, could have there software altered, within minutes, to print a tape dated November 3rd. That was shown on video.

            Same machines are used in Vermont.

            If that can happen in NH, this could not happen in VT?

            The ONLY reason the machine brou-ha-ha was revealed in NH, because one Democrat demanded a recount BY HAND OF ALL THE BALLOTS of Windham County.

            Otherwise, all would lay DORMANT, and various Vermont folks would continue to say no fraud, no errors in lilly-white Vermont, which is famous for EB5’s largest fraud in history.

            What should happen, is a FORENSIC examination of 5% of ALL ballots cast in Vermont.

            If NO anomalies, all is OK
            If any anomalies, repeat the forensic count for another 5%
            It still no anomalies, declare the election “free of fraud”.

            ANY PRONOUNCEMENTS AHEAD OF THE FORENSIC EXAMINATIONS ARE JUST BLOWING SMOKE.

            TRUST BUT VERIFY

        • It’s worth noting here that the procedures are different for VT and NH however we use the same vendor and same equipment to “help” with the elections. It’s also worth noting that the way that the Windham county NH issues present themselves are VERY unlikely to be discovered in VT without a much more specific audit.

          We have no doubt that you are dedicated to accuracy and fairness however it only takes 1 person who isn’t to cheat the election.

          Many people aren’t thinking about this correctly and they should be looking at the history of hacking which would be called phreaking. It was a means of breaking into the telecommunications system using little know admin protocols, deception, slight of hand, and other intelligent ways of misusing what was available in conjunction to get what was desired. Hacking an election would be done in the same manner using any method available, thinking outside the box so to speak. Making more methods available or outright removing barriers like chain of custody only opens up more ways to phreak the Election System.

          • Brian,
            Exactly my point

            Chain of Custody is the holy grail.

            That is not anywhere near possible with mail-in ballots, as testified by VERMONT Town Clerks.

            People moved away, people died, and they AUTOMATICALLY get ballots from Condos, Mister Hooray of Universal Mail-in.

            In Georgia, no one has been able to produce “chain of custody” records for over 200,000 COUNTED ballots.

            Double/triple/quadruple feeding of the same ballots, as shown on Video
            Xeroxed ballots all looking exactly the same, as recently mentioned by a Judge.
            Mail-in ballots WITH NO FOLD MARKS
            UNMONITORED drop boxes.

            No mentions of such happenings in the mass media; ALL IS WELL, BECAUSE WE SAY SO

  5. A friend that worked in the post office told me that if you receive mail you don’t want write the word “REFUSED” on it and put back in the mail where it is sent back to the sender. I’ll have my black Sharpie with me when they mail me a ballot I did not request. Phony Phil signed a bill that allows voter fraud.

    • Perfect, then they can fill it out for you…. Do one better and shred it, then request a real one when you get there.

  6. 1st order of business is to clean our own house. Get this phony subversive out of office!

  7. Scott should resign!
    He disgraced himself.
    He should have vetoed that law, because it has NO, ZERO, NADA SAFEGUARDS, as CONDOS knows.

    Scott is a far worse RINO than Romney.
    Never again will I vote for Scott.

  8. If you feel your own vote should count, why would you want to support a system which might result in a fraudulent vote that negates your legitimate vote? You’re cutting your own throat. Next, eliminate the electoral college and you’ll negate the votes of the whole state. Good plan.

  9. Scott was named the 17th Gov to most likely be influenced by the CCP according to the state department under Pompeo.
    Scott is not a republican… just a puppet RINO.
    Dont mail me one of your fake ballots. Just make sure there is an unadulterated one waiting for me at the voting booth.
    And Scotty can stick his CCP machines where the sun dont shine.
    GOD BLESS AMERICA

  10. This is an all out invite for hackers to discover what entity is involved with procuring votes and enact on behalf of the highest bidder. I’m involved with Cyber Crime risk retention and this is all out there in the Dark world. Couple this with retraction of Electoral College and you have a limp electorate.

  11. And, as the prudent voices of those charged with managing our voting system have warned, we’ll never know if the predicted integrity issues come to fruit.

  12. What is wrong with Governor Scott, did he even ponder on what he was doing when
    he signed this boondoggle, have him and Sec Condos been drinking out of the same
    cup, it appears they are in the same political party, Scott’s a disgrace to the GOP !!

    Voting is and has been a pretty simple process, go to the polls on voting day, or if you
    cannot do that, you simply ” request ” an absentee ballot, a pretty simple and a process
    that has worked for years, the ” Publishers Clearing House ” ballot distribution is just
    flood the population with ballots and see what’s returned, and who’s the winner ??

    I voted for Phil Scott in the past, never again, and if the Vermont GOP tries to support
    this buffoon, don’t ask for any $$$$, send him packing along with the rest of the LIBS.

    What a disgrace.

  13. We learn NOTHING from watching others. After they drown, we dive in!!

    100,000’s of ballots mailed out, scattered in a million places, easily grabbed in some………..
    And None ZERO of the safeguards which have been used here and elsewhere forever.
    Unwanted ballots fill the wastebasket at the Post Office, ready for the dishonest to grab!!

    People who cared always found a way to vote. Requested absentee ballots were sent unquestioned. Dead people did not vote. Those who left to retire south vote, Students long gone remain on the voter roles. All those are live ballots for anybody to fill in, to give to their favored political party, to sell for a pint of whiskey,

    Has the Legislature and the Governor lost their minds. People who want to vote can always vote – simple!!
    Is there a need to force people to vote who don’t care, don’t know the issues , don’t know the candidates???

    WHY??? Party line Voting – no thought! Best welfare?

  14. No security in anything they do, no accountability, no adherence to the actual laws, constant racism, a constant dictatorship, why do we continue to pay these people?

    They certainly aren’t acting in our best interests. I bet if enough of us started refusing to pay any of our taxes they’d listen up real quick.

    • I like your idea! I think it is going to be the only way the voice of the people is heard.

  15. Can anyone tell me when there were complaints pre-COVID about voting restrictions? Was this ever an issue before? The problem with voter fraud it only works when no one is paying attention. Now that the national spotlight is on election fraud, suddenly VT has to change to fraudulent voter schemes permanently. Condo and Scott – the CCP came visiting in Feb 2019 – how much money exchanged hands to destroy the State so the CCP can buy it up and run it. All issues raised in the past 18 mos never raised before. The Communists are rooted deeply in the Green Mountain State.

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