By Guy Page
The Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), a leading advocacy group for the use of drop boxes and universal mailed ballots in Vermont, has not engaged in ballot harvesting, Paul Burns said.
A 2021 Vermont pandemic election law supported by VPIRG explicitly permits third parties (except candidates and campaign workers) to collect ballots from voters, a practice also known as “ballot harvesting.”
The documentary film 2000 Mules uncovered questionable and possibly illegal ballot harvesting in several states. Vermont Daily Chronicle determined that Vermont’s pandemic election-era law allows two key features that enable ballot harvesting: universal mailed ballots collected by third parties, delivered to well-funded not-for-profit advocacy organizations, and then delivered to ballot drop boxes (more than 100 Vermont municipalities have them).
No-one has accused VPIRG – or any other Vermont organization – of ballot harvesting. Vermont Daily Chronicle asked VPIRG about any involvement in ballot harvesting, because not only was it a strong advocate for the new election laws, it also has a well-established “ground game” of sending young Vermonters door-to-door soliciting questionnaire responses and donations.
So VDC asked VPIRG June 7: “Did VPIRG do any ballot harvesting during the 2020 campaign? If so, how did you go about doing it?”
On June 13, VDC received this response from VPIRG Executive Director Paul Burns:
“Your note was passed to me as I head up our Democracy Program work. You asked about ballot harvesting, which is not a legal term. I’m guessing you’re asking whether VPIRG collected completed ballots from voters and submitted them for processing in the 2020 election. The answer to that question is no.”
Burns further explained that VPIRG is motivated by increasing access to voting. “As you may know, VPIRG has prioritized making voting as easy as possible. We believe our democracy works best when everyone participates. So, we strive to get as close to full participation as possible.”
Paul Burns has been VPIRG executive director since 2001. His bio states: “VPIRG is Vermont’s largest nonprofit, consumer and environmental advocacy organization. In just the past few years, VPIRG has played a major role in several landmark achievements including the nation’s first ban on fracking, tough new regulations on toxics, and the precedent-setting requirement that GMO foods be labeled. Paul’s leadership was integral to the success of those campaigns. Previously, he worked for 15 years as an attorney, advocate and organizer for PIRGs in New York and Massachusetts. He earned his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Oswego, and his law degree from the Syracuse University College of Law.”