Vermont Officials Vow to Guard Polls Against Outages and Interference

Vermont’s top election officials declared the state’s voting systems secure on Monday, just over a week before voters head to the polls. As of that day, more than 100,000 residents had already returned their ballots. The joint announcement aimed to reassure the public ahead of the November 3 election.

Sarah Copeland Hanzas, the state’s Democratic Secretary of State, and Phil Scott, the Republican governor, appeared together to present a unified front. They stated there are no specific or credible threats currently targeting Vermont elections. However, they acknowledged that intense national political rhetoric is influencing the local environment.

Copeland Hanzas emphasized the need to calm the atmosphere. She said the state really needs to take the temperature down regarding elections in Vermont. Her team is drafting contingency plans for potential disruptions on Election Day.

The Secretary of State listed several scenarios the state is preparing to handle. These include power outages, internet failures, and communications breakdowns. The plan also accounts for physical threats and the presence of ICE agents at polling locations. Given the local climate, officials are also monitoring weather conditions closely.

At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Justice signaled it would deploy 1,000 election monitors to communities nationwide. Vermont law restricts poll watchers from communicating with or interfering with election workers and voters. Governor Scott said state and local police are ready to respond if anyone is blocked or intimidated at the polls.

The governor added that officials are effectively freezing the secretary of state’s website to prevent hacking in the days leading up to the vote. He stated the state will do anything to protect the process and counter anything that comes up. In Winooski, City Clerk Jenny Willingham and her two staff members are working overtime to prepare for the day. Willingham noted that while many voters trust the mail-in process, some remain skeptical. She said the goal is to ensure voters feel comfortable and that their votes count without impeding others.

Voters who have not yet mailed their ballots are now too late for postal delivery. They can drop off ballots in official dropboxes, bring them to their town clerk, or hand them in at the polls next Tuesday.