S.348 – AN ACT RELATING TO TEMPORARY ELECTION PROCEDURES IN THE YEAR 2020, MYERS AMENDMENT
FAILED
in the State House of Representatives
on June 10, 2020, by a vote of
50-95
Purpose: The underlying bill, S.348, would remove the Governor from the decision making process of how to conduct elections during the COVID-19 pandemic, clearing the way to allow for a process in which “live” absentee ballots would be mailed to all registered voters on the statewide checklist, regardless of a request (roughly 500,000 ballots). The purpose of the Myers Amendment is to, under these circumstances, discourage the practice of “ballot harvesting,” a controversial practice in which campaign operatives and/or activists collect ballots from voters, often resulting in undo influence over voters, fraudulent filling out of ballots, and destruction of ballots. The key language in the amendment reads, “An early voter absentee ballot may be returned only by the voter; the justices of the peace who delivered the ballot, if applicable; or an authorized family member or caregiver acting in the voter’s behalf,” as well as defining criminal penalties if violated and mandates a civil investigation if there is reason to suspect this kind of fraud is occurring.
Analysis: Mailing live ballots to 500,000 addresses for an election in which roughly 300,000 Vermonters are expected to vote will create a situation where 200,000 unclaimed/unwanted ballots are in circulation for anyone to collect, fraudulently fill out, and submit.
Those voting YES on the bill believe that with the unprecedented action in Vermont of mailing ballots to voters who did not request them, knowing that tens of thousands of names and addresses on the statewide voter checklist are invalid, people having died or moved away, and examples of “ballot harvesting” fraud occurring in other states, specific safeguards need to be put in place to prevent this from happening in Vermont.
Those voting NO argue “ballot harvesting” should not be prohibited in Vermont, and the practice will not lead to fraud.
As Recorded in the House Journal, June 10, 2020: “…Shall the House propose to the Senate to amend the bill as offered by Rep. Myers and others? was decided in the negative. Yeas, 50. Nays, 95. (Read the Journal, p. 1160-1162). Watch the floor debate on YouTube.
Related:
Roll Call! Senate Removes Governor from “All-Mail Election” Decision, 21-7 (2020)
Roll Call! Senate Blocks Measure to Prohibit “Ballot Harvesting” (5-24), 2020
How They Voted
(Click on your Rep’s name to send an email)
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Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – NO Peter Anthony (D – Barre) – NO Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – NO Robert Bancroft (R – Westford) – YES John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – NO Lynn Batchelor (R – Derby) – YES Christopher Bates (D – Bennington) – YES Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – YES Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – NO Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – NO Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – YES Timothy Briglin (D – Thetford) – NO Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – NO Cynthia Browning (D – Arlington) – YES Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – NO Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – YES Mollie Burke (P – Brattleboro) – NO Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – NO William Canfield (R – Fair Haven) – YES James Carroll (D – Bennington) – YES Seth Chase (D – Colchester) – NO Robin Chesnut-Tangerman (P – Middletown Springs) – NO Annmarie Christensen (D – Weathersfield) – NO Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – NO Brian Cina (P – Burlington) – NO Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – NO Selene Colburn (P – Burlington) – NO Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – NO Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – NO Charles Conquest (D – Newbury) – NO Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D – Bradford) – NO Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – YES Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – NO Lawrence Cupoli (R – Rutland) – YES Carl Demrow (D – Corinth) – YES Eileen Dickinson (R – St. Albans) – YES Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – NO Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – YES Johannah Donovan (D – Burlington) – NO David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – NO Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – NO Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – NO Peter Fagan (R – Rutland) – YES Charen Fegard (D – Berkshire) – NO Martha Feltus (R – Lyndon) – YES Marianna Gamache (R – Swanton) – YES John Gannnon (D – Wilmington) – NO Marcia Gardner (D – Richmond) – NO Dylan Giambatista (D – Essex) – NO Diana Gonzalez (P – Wioski) – NO Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – YES Maxine Grad (D – Moretown) – NO Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – ABSENT James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) – YES Sandy Haas (P – Rochester) – NO Lisa Hango (R – Birkshire) – YES James Harrison (R – Chittenden) – YES Nader Hashim (D – Dummerston) – NO Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – YES Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – YES Matthew Hill (D – Wolcott) – ABSENT Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – NO Philip Hooper (D – Randolph) – NO Mary Hooper (D – Montpelier) – NO Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – NO Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – NO Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – NO Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – NO Kimberly Jessup (D – Middlesex) – NO Mitzi Johnson (D – Grand Isle) – PRESIDING John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – NO Charles Kimbell (D – Woodstock) – NO Warren Kitzmiller (D – Montpelier) – ABSENT Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – NO |
Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – NO Robert LaClair (R – Barre) – YES Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) – NO Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – NO Paul Lefebvre (R – Newark) – YES Felisha Leffler (R – Esburgh) – YES William Lippert (D – Hinesburg) – NO Emily Long (D – Newfane) – NO Terence Macaig (D – Williston) – NO Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – YES Marcia Martel (R – Waterford) – YES James Masland (D – Thetford) – NO Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – YES Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans) – NO Curtis McCormack (D – Burlington) – NO Patricia McCoy (R – Poultney) – YES James McCullough (D – Williston) – NO Francis McFaun (R – Barre) – YES Leland Morgan (R – Milton) – NO Kristi Morris (D – Springfield) – NO Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – YES Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – NO Barbara Murphy (I – Fairfax) – NO Linda Myers (R – Essex) – YES Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – NO Terry Norris (I – Shoreham) – YES William Notte (D – Rutland) – NO Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – NO John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – NO Jean O’Sullivan (D – Burlington) – NO Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – NO “Woody” Page (R – Newport) – YES Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – NO John Palasik (R – Milton) – YES Carolyn Partridge (D – Windham) – NO Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – NO David Potter (D – Clarendon) – YES Ann Pugh (D – S. Burlington) – NO Constance Quimby (R – Concord) – YES Barbara Rachelson (D – Burlington) – NO Zachariah Ralph (P – Hartland) – NO Marybeth Redmond (D – Essex) – NO Peter Reed (I – Braintree) – NO Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – NO Carl Rosenquist (R – Georgia) – YES Brian Savage (R – Swanton) – YES Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – NO Heidi Scheuermann (R – Stowe) – YES Patrick Seymour (R – Sutton) – YES Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – YES Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – NO Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – NO Brian Smith (R – Derby) – YES Harvey Smith (R – New Haven) – YES Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – NO Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – NO Vicki Strong (R – Albany) – YES Linda Joy Sullivan (D – Dorset) – YES Mary Sullivan (D – Burlington) – NO Randall Szott (D – Barnard) – NO Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – NO Thomas Terenzini (R – Rutland) – YES George Till (D – Jericho) – ABSENT Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – NO Catherine Toll (D – Danville) – NO Casey Toof (R – St. Albans) – YES Maida Townsend (D – South) – NO Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – NO Kelly Cota-Tulley (D – Rockingham) — NO Tommy Walz (D – Barre) – NO Kathryn Webb (D – Shelburne) – NO Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – NO Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – NO David Yacovone (D – Morristown) – NO Michael Yantachka (D – Charlotte) – NO Samuel Young (D – Greensboro) – NO |
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