Note: This article was also published as a Word in the House article in The Citizen.
Our United States Constitution guarantees American citizens
many rights, most notably those contained in the first ten amendments, the Bill
of Rights. The right of every eligible citizen to vote is fundamental to our
democracy and ensures that our other rights are protected by holding government
accountable. While originally reserved only for free male citizens of age 21 or
older, the right to vote was extended over time by subsequent amendments to
freed male slaves, women, and citizens of age 18 and older. In fact, this year is the 100th
anniversary of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote.
After the Civil War and up until the 1960s African Americans’
right to vote was suppressed by southern states through the use of poll taxes
and literacy tests. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated those measures in those
states and jurisdictions with a history of discrimination, and any changes to their
voting laws required federal oversight (preclearance). However, in 2013 a
divided Supreme Court struck down the preclearance clause of the act. This allowed
a wave of measures enacted by many conservative states to make it harder to
vote or skewed the vote by redrawing districts, a practice known as gerrymandering.
Requiring voter IDs, reducing the number
of polling places in minority-heavy districts, and mass purges of names from
voter lists have all eroded this fundamental element of our democracy.
On the other hand, many states, including Vermont, have made
it easier for eligible citizens to vote. Five states conduct all elections by
mail: Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah. Vermont allows people to
register to vote right up to voting day.
We maintain a statewide voter database to reduce duplication of
registration. We allow absentee and early voting to begin 45 days before the
election. Several weeks ago, in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic,
Wisconsin voters had to risk their health by standing in line to vote in person
because the Wisconsin Supreme Court would not allow absentee voting without a
valid excuse. Subsequently, a University of Wisconsin study found a “statistically
and economically significant association” between in-person voting and the
spread of COVID-19 after the election.
We don’t know at this time whether COVID-19 will still be widespread
at the time of the primary election in August and the general election in November.
Vermont has been relatively successful in suppressing the spread of the
virus. As the restrictions on social
participation are relaxed, we hope that we will not see a second wave of infections. However, we can’t take that for granted. We should be preparing now for both elections
to be held primarily by mail. House bill H.681, which passed both the House and
Senate and was signed into law by Governor Scott, gives the Secretary of State
temporary authority to change the way we hold elections during the COVID-19
emergency.
Secretary of State Jim Condos in consultation with Governor
Scott is exploring options for the primary and general elections. This will
certainly include an expansion of Vermont’s existing early and absentee voting
system. It’s a safe and secure process that allows any registered voter to cast
a ballot by mail and is the method recommended for Charlotte’s budget and
trails vote on June 23rd. (You can vote now!) The polls will still be
open on election day in some safe, modified way for people who prefer to vote
in person.
As individuals we can prepare now for whatever form future
elections take. The first step is to visit the “My Voter Page” (https://mvp.vermont.gov/) of the Secretary
of State’s website. You’ll see two green buttons where you can register to vote
or confirm that you’re registered to vote. If you know you’re registered to
vote, but the site says you’re not, then check with our Town Clerk. I was unable to find my record and called the
Town Clerk’s office. I learned that my birth date was set to 1/1/1900 in the
database, which was easily corrected. Then I was able to confirm my registration on
the website. You can also verify that your
address is correct, which is important if ballots will be mailed. Finally, you
can always ask for a mail-in ballot by calling our Town Clerk.
Vermont has a better record of voter turnout than most
states, ranking 11th in 2018 with a 56% showing. Absentee ballots
accounted for about 30% of votes cast in both the 2016 and 2018 general
elections. Vermonters take their commitment to democracy seriously. We will not let even a pandemic get between
us and that commitment.