Unauthorized absentee ballot requests expose holes in election security

Errors by two political campaigns resulted in hundreds of voting law violations during the general election and have raised questions about how to close a possible voter fraud loophole in Vermont.

The Deborah Bucknam for Attorney General campaign and the Vermont Democratic Party submitted hundreds of absentee ballot request forms for voters before the Nov. 8 election. However, voters didn’t know about the requests and never gave permission.

That violates Vermont election law, according to Will Senning, director of elections at the Secretary of State’s office.

“The law requires you to have the authorization of the (voter),” Senning told Vermont Watchdog. “(These cases) would be in violation of that law.”

Because the ballots were mailed to the correct voters, the requests qualify as error, not fraud.

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