“Attempted double voting is incredibly rare, and when it does happen it is caught, investigated and acted on,” Secretary of State’s office says
By Guy Page
Vermont voters who have moved out of state are receiving mailed ballots for the November 8, 2022 general election.
In response to Vermont Daily Chronicle questions about possible double-dipping by voters, the Vermont Secretary of State’s office conceded some former Vermont residents are receiving ballots, explained the legal consequences of getting caught voting in two different states, and urged Vermonters voting elsewhere to have their names removed from Vermont checklists.
Last night, Shannara Johnson, a former Morrisville resident and 2020 candidate for the Vermont House of Representatives, emailed Vermont Daily Chronicle a photo of the Vermont ballot she received in the mail – in Ohio, her new state of residence.
“Today, I received this forwarded Vermont mail-in ballot. So much for election safety,” Shannara Johnson noted with the photo of the Vermont ballot.
Vermont Daily Chronicle this morning asked the Vermont Secretary of State’s office: “A former Vermont resident and current Ohio resident and registered voter emailed me yesterday saying she received a Vermont ballot in the mail. What’s to stop her from voting in both elections?”
SOS spokesperson Eric Covey promptly emailed this response:
“The security and integrity of Vermont elections are our office’s top priority.
“Ballots were sent to all active, registered Vermont voters. It is possible in some instances that voters have moved and did not submit notification to the Clerk/BCA of their move.
“Voting twice is a very serious offense, and there are significant legal repercussions. Voting by mail in Vermont requires the voter to sign a sworn affidavit that they are who they say they are, that they are eligible to vote, and that their vote was not dully influenced. This signature is done under the pains and penalties of perjury.
“Anyone wishing to commit an act of double voting would have to perjure themselves and risk significant legal penalties when caught, all to what end? To influence an election in a state they no longer live in by a single vote?
“Attempted double voting is incredibly rare, and when it does happen it is caught, investigated and acted on.
“You know as well as we do that voter fraud is exceedingly rare. If you disagree, please provide actual evidence of voter fraud in Vermont elections.
“Fortunately, the local checks we have in place when the Clerks process incoming ballots mean that in the very rare case that someone does decide to cheat they will be discovered.
“The security and integrity of Vermont elections are our office’s top priority.
“Universal ballot mailing and voting by mail has been proven as safe and secure in Vermont, and nationally. It has been used in red and blue states for years, and even decades in some cases.
“The voter you reference should contact their former Town or City Clerk to inform them that they have moved, and can be removed from the voter checklist. The Clerk will provide instructions on the return or destruction of the ballot they were mailed.”
VDC asked Covey to provide details about “the local checks we have in place when the Clerks process incoming ballots.” He replied:
“The certificate of every returned ballot is checked by the Town Clerk or their election workers to ensure it has been completed and signed, and that there is nothing suspect with ballot package. The name and voter # of each voter is also printed on the envelope, as an additional security measure. Then, the voter is marked off the entrance checklist as having voted. The Town Clerks know their voters and their communities.”