Secretary of State Sarah Copeland-Hanzas, joined by Gov. Phill Scott, speaks at a pre-election press conference in Montpelier on Tuesday, October 29. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
Ahead of the Nov. 5 elections, state officials say they’re gearing up to “expect the unexpected,” and are getting ready to handle unlikely situations that range from power outages to civil disruptions.
Already, town clerks around the state have reported a “handful” of “really negative interactions that they’ve had with with people who appear to have been agitated by something that they saw on social media or a report that they heard from other parts of the country,” said Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas. Hanzas held a pre-election press conference with Gov. Phil Scott on Tuesday at the office of the Secretary of State in Montpelier.
The election system in Vermont is secure, Scott said, and his administration is making sure the voting process is protected.
“It’s essential we do our part to strengthen our democracy, treat each other with respect and tamp down the polarization we’re seeing across the country, and unfortunately, even here in Vermont,” Scott said.
Hanzas said somewhere between six and 10 such incidents have occurred recently, but “not every incident is something that warrants elevating to the Secretary’s attention,” so more could have taken place that she doesn’t know about, she said.
“It is very important to keep all of our election workers safe, from the elections team at the Secretary of State’s office to your town and city clerks, your poll workers, your boards of civil authority,” she said. “We’re lucky in Vermont to have a little less vitriol than they do in some parts of this country, but we are not immune to it.”
In Oregon and Washington this week, ballot boxes, which have been the subject of conspiracy theories in recent years, were set on fire, a matter that prompted an investigation from the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Gov. Phil Scott, joined by Secretary of State Sarah Copeland-Hanzas, right, speaks at a pre-election press conference in Montpelier on Tuesday, October 29. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
Scott said he’s been in steady communication with Hanzas’ office “to make sure we have a fair, secure and peaceful election,” especially given the divisive rhetoric at the national level.
While Scott said there won’t be increased police presence at polling locations, “local law enforcement is well versed on what’s happening that day, and will react appropriately.”
Hanzas said her office has been preparing for the election with town clerks by running through “de-escalation tactics,” and using available resources to do “physical security assessments.”
“Everybody is thinking carefully about the best way to protect the democratic process between now and November,” she said.
As of Tuesday, around 150,000 voters had submitted their ballots by mail. Moving forward, Hanzas said, those planning to vote early should either drop their ballot at a ballot box or deliver it to the town clerk in person.
Voters can check to see whether their mail-in ballot has arrived at their town clerk’s office and see other information about voting at mvp.vermont.gov.
“One of the basic responsibilities of civic duty is to vote, whether it’s in local elections or, as importantly, national elections,” Scott said.
Asked by a reporter how Scott is planning to vote in the presidential election, the governor said he won’t vote for former president Donald Trump, but in terms of whether he’ll vote for Kamala Harris or a third party candidate, he said he hasn’t yet decided.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont officials prepare to ensure election day is ‘fair, secure and peaceful’.