Tabulators = Accurate Election Results!
Vote-counting machines, known as tabulators, are securely built. Tabulators are unable to connect to the internet or other systems – a practice known as air gapping. Not only are tabulators secure, but the machines are consistently more accurate than hand counting, which is why all Vermont polling places that serve 1,000 or more voters use them.
The machines are rigorously checked and tested: clerks must test the machines at least 10 days before an election for “logic and accuracy.” This ensures the tabulator is reading ballots correctly.
Clerks must also ensure that all election officials follow strict protocols when handling the tabulator memory cards and any paper ballots. They sign out and sign back in the memory cards, and carefully monitor when ballots are handled in any way. Just like for nearly every other election-related duty, at least two election officials must be present to run a tabulator. When not in use, tabulators must be locked in a vault or a secure location at all times.
But even with those protocols in place, we still don’t just take the machine’s word for it. Every vote cast in Vermont elections is done on a paper ballot; paper ballots from Federal elections are securely stored for 22 months following the election to ensure accurate results.
After each election, results from the stand-alone tabulators are printed out on a register tape. Election officials enter these results through a secure online portal into the statewide election management system on election night as unofficial results. The number of ballots counted is compared to the number of voters checked off the checklist as having voted, and those two numbers need to match. Once everything has been checked to make sure it’s correct, the official results are reported to the Secretary of State’s office. This report has to be done within 48 hours of polls closing. (In Brattleboro, you can find Election Results on this page.)
Vermont’s statewide results are certified as official a week after the election by a canvassing committee, made up of the Secretary of State and a member of each major party (Democratic, Progressive, and Republican).
Finally, 30 days after every general election, the Secretary of State’s office conducts a post-election audit. A gathering occurs in December in a public, live-streamed event, where the Secretary of State’s office selects a random group of cities and towns – some of which are hand count towns – to confirm the results reported match the ballots. The results reported by the clerk are compared to the paper ballots themselves, to make sure that there are no discrepancies. The results of these audits are then posted on the Secretary of State’s website.
November General Election
The General Election will be held on November 5, 2024, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the American Legion, 32 Linden St. in Brattleboro.
The state will be mailing ballots to all active registered voters during the week of September 23, 2024, for the General Election. You do not need to request a ballot for the General Election, unless you need it mailed to a different address than is on file.
If you do NOT receive your ballot by October 7, please reach out to the Town Clerk’s office at 802-251-8157 or [email protected].
Visit our Voting FAQs section for other helpful information.