Town clerks were asked if they support or oppose the secretary’s plan, if they are concerned about technical glitches or voter fraud, and whether the benefits outweigh the problems. Twenty-seven clerks responded.
This bill (S.348) is unnecessary because we already have a secure system in place that enables voters to be and feel safe when exercising their right to vote. Potential unforeseen consequences that could dilute the sanctity and security of our election cannot be dismissed.
Absentee or mail-in ballots are voted outside the supervision and overview of election officials — thus destroying the secret ballot, an important hallmark of American elections for more than a century. They are susceptible to being stolen, altered, and forced.
The Condos/VPIRG vote-by-mail proposal, if allowed to move forward, will lead to something like 160,000 unclaimed or unwanted ballots just floating around — for any unscrupulous actors to collect, fill out and mail in.
Ten new candidates for Vermont’s House and Senate were introduced Wednesday by Republican gubernatorial candidate John Klar from the steps of the state Capitol.
Sen. Benning continued, “I know the excuse is Covid-19 and trying to keep people safe, but as I said to you in my email we have an alternative by way of an absentee ballot that makes perfect sense to cure that problem.”
I have to laugh when I hear members of the Vermont Legislature tell us that their vote-by-mail scheme to send live ballots to everyone on the voter checklist will be free of controversy and fraud because Vermonters certainly don’t try to steal them.
Rep. Cynthia Browning of Arlington will be running for re-election to the Vermont House as one of the two representatives for Arlington, Manchester, Sandgate and Sunderland. But this time around she will be running as an independent rather than as a Democrat.
More Vermonters are running for the Vermont Legislature as Republicans and are among those endorsed by the campaign to elect John Klar as governor.
Liberty is precious, but paralysis rooted in fear will destroy it. If our leaders continue to ignore the principles upon which it was established, it will soon be lost.
I believe the crisis will either mark a turning point for Vermont or the point of no return. We need to elect candidates who have the competence and courage to tackle the challenges ahead with fresh solutions that prioritize Vermont’s workers and middle and working class families.
Vermont, with its small state voting population, is prime country for remarkably close elections, making it particularly sensitive to any improper voting. In 2016, in a Vermont state House seat race, the outcome was determined by one vote out of 2,000 votes cast. In such a race there is no room for any fraud.