Condos urges absentee voters to send in ballots

Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos is encouraging all Vermont voters to ensure that they exercise their right to vote in the upcoming Tuesday, Aug. 11 statewide Primary Elections. For those voters who have requested early/absentee ballots, Condos recommends the voter follow all instructions to properly vote their ballot, and return it to their Town Clerk in time to be counted on Primary Election day.

“While thousands of Vermonters vote by mail every election cycle, for many the process is new this year,” said Condos. “It is important to follow all instructions for your ballot, including sealing and signing the certificate envelope and returning the two unvoted ballots.”

Condos has issued the following guidance to voters who are voting by mail in the August primaries.

“Your ballot must be returned to your Town Clerk, not to my office or anywhere else. You can mail your ballot or deliver it to the Town Clerk’s office in person. If you are mailing or bringing back your ballot to the clerk, they need to receive it by close of regular business hours on Monday, Aug. 10, the day before the election. We cannot predict how long the mail will take for you, so our best estimate is to leave yourself at least a week to mail your ballot back to the clerk. However, the more time, the better.”

Condos added, “You can also bring your ballot to the polling place by 7 p.m. on Election Day. All polls will be open for business, but we hope that in-person traffic will be low so that social distancing measures can be followed for those who do vote in person.”

You will receive three ballots for the Primary; one for each major party (Democrat, Republican and Progressive). You can only vote one. Choose which party primary you wish to vote in and make your selections by completely filling in the ovals on your ballot.

Next, place it in the envelope marked ‘Voted Ballots,’ also known as the certificate envelope, and fill it out completely, including printing your name and signing the affirmation. If your certificate envelope is not filled out completely and signed, your vote will not be counted.

Place your two unvoted ballots into the other envelope marked ‘Unvoted Ballots’ and seal it. The two unvoted ballots must be returned with your ballot for your vote to be counted. If you have also received a local election ballot, follow the instructions included by your Town Clerk.

Place both of these envelopes in the larger mailing envelope and seal it. The envelope should be pre-addressed to your Town Clerk, and the postage has been prepaid. Make sure your ballot is returned in time to be counted.

Condos will be holding a Facebook live event at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29 to discuss the August primary voting process and to answer questions from Vermont voters. To view or participate in this event visit the office’s Facebook page by clicking here.