Vermont shows how to run an election

By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN
Reformer Staff

BRATTLEBORO If there is one thing Town Clerk Annette Cappy learned after attending a national elections meeting recently, it is that the election process in Vermont is in pretty good shape.

Cappy joined Vermont Secretary of State Deb Markowitz as the state representatives on the National Elections Standards Board which met for the first time earlier this month in Houston.

Representatives from every state and U.S. territory came together for a day in Houston to lay the groundwork for instituting changes to the way Americans vote.

It was the first time that representatives from the states met in one place to discuss election standards. The standards board was created by the Help America Vote Act. Congress passed the act in 2002 to help develop national standards for elections following the controversial 2000 Presidential election and the problems encountered while counting Florida ballots.

"Vermont is one of the small states and things run smoothly," Cappy said from her office after returning from the meeting. "It was an historic occasion. It was inspiring to witness the level of commitment."

The first meeting took place almost 18 months after the President signed the bill into law. Cappy said the work of the board stalled as Congress tried to find the money to fund the act. Not much will change before this year's election. The first level of standards must be in place by Jan. 1, 2006.

While states around the country grapple with voter lists that may or may not include felons, and the controversies swirl around touch screen voting machines, Cappy said small changes in Vermont will be visible this November.

The state received $16 million in special federal voting funds, according to Bill Dalton, Vermont's deputy secretary of state. Some of that money went toward new machines that count ballots.

These are not touch screen machines, Cappy is quick to point out. They will merely assist the town in counting the paper ballots.

Cappy said it is not likely that touch screen machines will ever make it to Vermont.

"With touch screens, there is no paper trail. There is no way to recount or check the ballots," Cappy said. "I find that scary."

Another change coming is the creation of a statewide voting list, a move required by the national law. This is one of the changes that must be in place by January 2006.

The national standards board will meet again to hammer out other standards, according to Markowitz. She said she chose Cappy to represent the state because she thought Cappy "runs a professional operation and she has the confidence of clerks around the state."

Markowitz agreed that many of the issues that larger states have do not exist in Vermont.

Felons can vote here, Markowitz said, and voting is done by hand on paper ballots, so there are no issues with touch screen machines.

"We are so lucky here," Markowitz said. "It was wonderful to talk to people from around the country and hear how they run their elections without glitches."

"It sounds so complicated but it doesn't need to be," said Cappy, who has been in charge of Brattleboro's elections for 15 years. "It should be simple. Everyone needs to understand and you have to get the information into everyone's hands."

On the local level, Cappy said she is searching out a place for this year's election, as construction at the high school is going to prevent using that site. She said she will advertise the new polling place when the Board of Civil Authority decides on where it will take place.

And while the nation, and the world, sets their sights on this November, and discussions about standards and hanging chads dominate the news, Cappy said the election process remains an important part of her responsibilities.

"I take it all very seriously," Cappy said. "I have watched people tear up as they take the voter's oath, and parents act so proud as they come up with their children who are voting for the first time. It is such an important part of being in this country that you have to take it seriously and make sure that everyone that votes, counts."