By Guy Page
Alarm bells started ringing among some voters after Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland-Hanzas urged in a press release this week, ‘make sure you get your ballot in the mail today!’
These voters contacted VDC with their concerns. In response, VDC asked the Sec State office if there’s a particular, potential problem voters don’t know about that would warrant a sense of urgency.
The answer: no. The SOS is just being mindfully prudent about the U.S. mail.
“The release was sent out for awareness; to encourage voters to be mindful of potential delays due to mail service,” spokesman Bryan Mills said.
Here’s the complete paragraph from the press release: “Mailing your ballot back to your clerk’s office is a convenient, easy way to cast your vote, but it’s crucial that you mail it in time for your clerk to receive it by 7pm on Election Day,” she said in a news release issued on Oct. 16. “If you’re voting this way, make sure you get your ballot in the mail today!”
If you haven’t received your ballot….
The press release also said “the state has mailed general election ballots to all active registered voters.” However, some registered voters have not yet received their ballots, according to citizen reports emailed to VDC.
“One of my friends called me about this last night,” a former state senator emailed VDC. “Her son had not yet received his mailed ballot and wanted to vote. So he went to the town office and they provided him with a substitute ballot and he signed the affidavit stating he has not completed another ballot, and he voted, as is the process if a voter fails to bring their ballot or did not get one.”
Voters who haven’t received their ballots may 1) check with their local Town Clerk’s office for certainty of registration and/or 2) do as the man above did, and show up to vote in-person without the ballot that was mailed to them, they can sign an affidavit of “No Ballot Cast” and will receive a new ballot to vote then and there.
Some town clerks have expressed concern that they may lack a supply of blank ballots if too many voters arrive at the polls without theirs. However, the Town Clerk may in a pinch resort to recycling blank returned ballots and print out new ballots, a Washington County Town Clerk said.
There are several ways for Vermonters to vote:
- Mail their ballot back to their clerk’s office.
- Bring their ballot to their clerk’s office in-person during their open hours.
- Drop their ballot into an official ballot drop box any time before Election Day.
- Bring their ballot with them to their polling place on November 5.