As the Chief Elections Officer of the State of Vermont, I am proud of the work my office does to keep Vermont elections free, fair, accessible, and accurate. Vermonters may have heard of recent outreach from the federal government to states asking for voter information, including state voter lists. The policy of my office is very clear: our office has no plans to share Vermont voter data with the federal government.
The reasons for this are twofold. First, Vermont law specifically prohibits sharing of this data, and second, the U.S. Constitution gives states the authority to conduct elections, not federal agencies.
Vermont State law explicitly protects voters’ private information from the federal government or any foreign entity. Our office is committed to upholding State law, protecting Vermonters’ private information, and supporting Vermont’s town and city clerks to do the same. Vermont State statutes clearly state, in 17 V.S.A. § 2154(b)(2), that Vermont city, town, and state governments are prohibited from sharing the statewide voter checklist or any municipal voter checklist with any federal agency or commission.
Furthermore, the U.S. Constitution gives the states control over elections and gives only Congress the power to pass laws regulating elections; it does not empower the president or executive branch to do so (U.S. Constitution Article I, Section 4). This means that, in the absence of a law passed by Congress, state law dictates all matters around elections, including the release of any voter data.
To the extent that the federal government seeks to overstep its authority, I will continue to work with Attorney General Clark to protect Vermonters’ data in court. The Attorney General and I will also continue to coordinate with other states that are committed to protecting citizens’ private data and preserving the constitutional balance of power.