Bennington Election Information

ELECTION REPORT

Year 2006 was challenging for all election officials. We all worked together to comply with the HAVA (Help America Vote Act) requirements mandated by the Federal Government. The Supervisors struggled to learn the new data entry procedures for the centralized Voter Checklist, while the Town Clerk and her staff struggled with new accessibility requirements, including a space age voting booth designed to help visually impaired and other disabled voters cast their ballots. The Checklist Supervisors are pleased to report that we have made the complete transition to the Statewide (ElectioNet) Checklist, and while there is more to learn and a few bugs to iron out, things are going quite well.

We still count votes manually in Bennington, and we welcome volunteers to help. Vote counting is an interesting and rewarding way to get involved with your community. Every vote will be counted, and every vote counts! Paper ballots are still the best guarantee of free open elections, as they ensure a voter-verified paper trail. All are welcome to lend a hand on Election Day evening. Volunteer with the Town Moderator or Town Clerk if you would like to help either during the day or in the evening.

CHANGING PARTIES

If you are on the Checklist as a Democrat or Republican and you wish to be an Undeclared voter, please see the Supervisors or the Town Clerk prior to June 2008 to fill out a change form. After the June cutoff, you will not be able to change your party affiliation until after the Primary.

ABSENTEE VOTING

If you will not be in Town for any election, please try to vote absentee. You can even vote absentee if you are not sure if your work and commuting schedule will allow you to get to the polls in time. If you're not sure, it's always better to vote absentee. Your vote counts!

If you plan to vote absentee, please plan ahead. The Town Clerk has all the forms you will need, and she can tell you how to file absentee, and what the deadlines are for each election. Separate forms must be obtained for each election. (The exception to this is military personnel, who can fill out the Federal Post Card Application. This ensures that all ballots will be sent to them, as long as they are stationed in one place. The online version of this form is available by clicking here.

Call the Town Clerk at 603-588-2189 for more information on absentee voting.