Name: Universal Mail-In Ballot Bill Clears Key Hurdle in Vermont Senate | Off Message
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Universal Mail-In Ballot Bill Clears Key Hurdle in Vermont Senate | Off Message

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! -- fonts --&gt;Seven Days needs your financial support!Switch to the of this page.| | | |Vermont's Independent Voice|A bill to make universal mail-in ballots a permanent feature of Vermont general elections, and to make it easier for voters to fix mistakes on those ballots, cleared a key legislative hurdle on Tuesday.The Senate Government Operations Committee voted 4-1 to support the bill, which now heads to money committees that will assess the cost.The measure would require town clerks to mail out ballots to all active, registered voters for general elections, pandemic safety issues or not. Every voter would have the chance to return their ballot by mail, deliver it to the polls, or vote as they always have in person.A key element of the bill would allow people who make errors when filling out their ballots to fix the problem and still have their votes count. During last year’s dramatic expansion of voting by mail, the rate of defective ballots also spiked.During the general election, fewer than half a percent of voters, or about 1,500 people, cast ballots that were not counted because they failed to follow the specific, multistep process required to properly mark, sign, seal and return their ballots.The new bill would require clerks to inform voters of defective ballots&nbsp;and give them two ways to fix their error. Voters could do so in person at the clerk’s office or at the polls on Election Day; or they could ask their clerk to mail them a new ballot. As long as they return the new ballot before the close of polls, their vote would count.Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, praised the committee for its work and said polls show voters strongly support, and appreciate the convenience of, mail-in balloting.“Vermonters are largely united in the belief that we should make voting easier, not more difficult,” Burns said in a statement.Audrey Kline, national policy director for the Colorado-based National Vote at Home Institute, said the committee had done a “fabulous job” in crafting an important bill.“We believe that in Vermont, and every state, voters should have the freedom to cast their votes at home or in person,” Kline told lawmakers. “And we can give voters options that work for them without compromising the security and safety of our elections.”The lone no vote was by Sen. Brian Collamore (R-Rutland), who said he felt the need for universal mail-in balloting would ease as the pandemic passed.&nbsp;He also said he also didn't think the rate of defective ballots was high enough to merit the change, and said the existing absentee ballot system — which requires people to request ballots — works well.The bill would also require the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office to produce a report by early next year on how to improve access for non-English speaking voters.Tags: , , , , , ,Send aand we'll publish your feedback in print!&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;Comments are closed.Since 2014, Seven Days has allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we’ve appreciated the suggestions and insights, the time has come to shut them down — at least temporarily.While we champion free speech, facts are a matter of life and death during the coronavirus pandemic, and right now Seven Days is prioritizing the production of responsible journalism over moderating online debates between readers.To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please Or . We’ll check it out and report the results.Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.All content© 2022Da Capo Publishing, Inc.255 So. Champlain St. Ste. 5,Burlington, VT 05401&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;Website powered by

! -- fonts --&gt;Seven Days needs your financial support!Switch to the of this page.| | | |Vermont's Independent Voice|A bill to make universal mail-in ballots a permanent feature of Vermont general elections, and to make it easier for voters to fix mistakes on those ballots, cleared a key legislative hurdle on Tuesday.The Senate Government Operations Committee voted 4-1 to support the bill, which now heads to money committees that will assess the cost.The measure would require town clerks to mail out ballots to all active, registered voters for general elections, pandemic safety issues or...

Universal Mail-In Ballot Bill Clears Key Hurdle in Vermont Senate | Off Message

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