MONTPELIER — The state of Vermont will send ballots to all active registered voters as a way to encourage voting in the November election while keeping people safe from the coronavirus pandemic, Vermont’s top election official said Monday.
Secretary of State Jim Condos on Monday issued the formal rules the state will follow when voting in the 2020 General Election.
Condos said voting by mail is simple, safe, and secure.
“When it comes to something as important as our elections, we must always plan for the worst,” Condos said. “Our state and national health experts have been very clear: There is no way to predict the status of the virus in November or in the weeks and months between now and election day.”
The 2020 Statewide Elections Directive is a result of laws passed by the Legislature this year that allows mail-in voting during the November election as a way to encourage voting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of the directive, mail-in ballots will be sent to every active registered voter ahead of the election. Active registered voters are those who have not been issued a challenge by their local election board.
Voters can return the ballot by mail, bring it to their town or city clerks, or cast that ballot at the polls on Election Day.
Under the directive, there are limits on when candidates can return ballots to town or city clerks it allows the early processing of ballots by the clerks.
Earlier this month the state sent out postcards to all of the state’s voters so they could request a mail-in ballot for the Aug. 11 primary or the November General Election.
As of Monday, 108,700 had been returned to voters’ town or city clerks, a record, Condos said.
Some people are skeptical of voting by mail, saying it could produce election fraud, Condos said. While voter fraud does occur, it is rare and in most cases, the perpetrators are caught and prosecuted.
“I welcome that skepticism,” he said. “We should all care about the integrity of our elections.”