3 Vermont municipalities asked for 2020 election ballots for inspection

No less than three Vermont municipalities acquired requests to examine ballots from the 2020 election previously month in what seems to be a part of a nationwide motion by election deniers. 

The three cities which have acquired such requests are Bennington, Fairlee and Montpelier.

Federal legislation requires states to supply the ballots if requested inside 22 months of an election. After the so-called retention deadline, the ballots might be discarded.

The 22-month interval for the newest presidential election — which occurred on Nov. 3, 2020 — handed earlier this month. 

Final week in Montpelier, a small group of individuals inspected that metropolis’s ballots from the 2020 election, in keeping with Eric Covey, chief of employees within the Secretary of State’s Workplace. 

Covey stated that he couldn’t communicate to the precise motivations of the Vermonters who requested the ballots, however he did describe a nationwide motion of election deniers who falsely consider Donald Trump beat President Joe Biden. 

“The developments that we’re seeing nationally is that election deniers, who — regardless of the lack to supply any proof that there was any form of widespread fraud or rigging of the 2020 election — proceed to make baseless claims, lies and conspiracy theories in regards to the 2020 election,” Covey stated. “In consequence, you’re seeing some renewed name for people to look at sure points of the election course of.”

Montpelier City Clerk John Odum agreed. “I think, although I am unable to say for positive, that they had been responding to a nationwide name for such actions,” he stated. 

Covey emphasised that the occasion in Montpelier fulfilled a public data request and was not a recount.

“What we’re experiencing now could be a request from people to examine sure data of that election — on this case, to examine the ballots themselves,” he stated.

Odum stated the request in that metropolis got here a couple of week earlier than the retention deadline.

One of many individuals who inspected the ballots in Montpelier could have claimed to discover a discrepancy in 14 of the 5,216 votes solid, in keeping with the Montpelier Bridge. That may quantity to a fraction of a %. 

In response to the election archives maintained by the Secretary of State’s Workplace, Biden received 4,576 votes in Montpelier, whereas Trump garnered 468 votes and different candidates picked up the stability.

Regardless, the poll inspection would have had no actual impact on the outcomes of the 2020 election, Covey stated.

“The election was held securely in 2020,” he stated. 

Officers anticipate that the timing of the requests was no coincidence. The Washington Put up not too long ago reported an “unprecedented wave of public data requests within the ultimate weeks of the summer season.” 

The article pointed towards main election deniers reminiscent of MyPillow founder Mike Lindell as having instigated this wave. Lindell referred to as on supporters to request data from their native election places of work earlier than the 22-month retention interval ended. 

The Put up additionally reported on hypothesis that the data requests had been made not in an try to realize details about the 2020 election, however to disrupt the upcoming normal election in November.

“The timing is quite unlucky, on the one hand, by way of workflow,” Odum stated, referring to the autumn election. “However, these are of us who had been effectively inside their proper to need to look at the method.”

Each Odum and Covey indicated that misinformation is probably going the most important risk to elections. 

Nonetheless, Odum stated he revered any poll inspection request, “particularly because it was achieved very civilly and cooperatively.”