For Vermont voters not currently in Vermont, casting a ballot in the 2020 election looks much like it did in past years.
But voters who actually are in Vermont are also receiving ballots by mail in the coming weeks, and may choose to use that method rather than go to the polls on Election Day.
For years, mail-in voting has been used by out-of-state college students, military personnel, and people working overseas or holding temporary jobs elsewhere in the U.S.
Despite President Donald Trump’s claims that vote-by-mail is vulnerable to fraud, studies have shown that voting fraud, in any form, is extremely rare in the United States. A national study in 2016 found few credible allegations of fraudulent voting. When he became president, Trump formed a panel to investigate election corruption, but it found no real evidence of fraud before he disbanded it in 2018.
The one joker in the deck this year? Be sure to mail ballots earlier than normal. Tinkering with the U.S. Postal Service in the name of efficiency may slow down the delivery of mail-in ballots.
“We have confidence with the USPS workers and leadership here in Vermont but we certainly suggest, this year, given the reports we have heard in other areas of the country, that anyone mailing a ballot back from out of state do so as early as possible,” said Eric Covey, chief of staff for the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office.
Covey said that, with all Vermont voters being mailed a ballot this year, those living outside the state will receive a ballot either at the address specified in their ballot request, or to the underlying address in their voting record.
If there’s any question, Covey said, voters should contact their town clerk to ensure that a ballot is sent to an address where they receive mail.
Absentee ballots can be requested by phone, fax, email or mail.
The Vermont Secretary of State’s Office has an extensive FAQ page on its website to help absentee voters get their ballots counted. Some answers to those questions:
- Voters who request and receive an absentee ballot, but change their minds and decide they want to vote in person, are allowed to do just that. However, they are required to bring in their absentee ballot and envelope, and return them to the town clerk, so the absentee ballot can be marked as unused, before the voter submits an in-person vote.
- Any Vermonter overseas or in the military is welcome to vote by mail, as long as they moved directly from a Vermont town to a location outside the United States. If a voter moved from Vermont to a residence in another state before leaving the United States, they must instead vote from the U.S. residence where they last lived.
- Parents of children who are away at college are allowed to request absentee ballots for their kids, according to the state. Children who turn 18 while residing overseas are also eligible to vote in Vermont, so long as they were previously Vermont residents.
- Under federal law, voters who don’t vote in two elections (held every two years), and do not respond to a notice sent by their local board of civil authority, can be removed from the voter checklist. However, anyone removed in error can be added back to the list.
Mailed-in ballots must be received by Election Day for the votes to count.
Any questions about absentee voting can be directed to your town clerk, or the Elections Division at sos.elections@vermont.gov, or at 800-439-VOTE.
