South Burlington’s Board of Civil Authority was briefed July 17 on a new election-management system rolled out by the Vermont Secretary of State. City staff said the system is live, out of beta, and the Secretary’s office and local clerks are holding weekly meetings to work through remaining issues.

Why it matters: the new system changes how workers look up voters and manage the voter checklist on Election Day, though it does not change how physical tabulators operate. Staff emphasized training for precinct teams and said the town will embed short training videos and QR codes in the BCA’s gray election manual so poll workers can access role-specific guidance on check-in, tabulator-watching, and back-table procedures.

Training and rollout details: staff said the Secretary of State will schedule trainings; the town expects preliminary rollout sessions in November or December and broader training through March 2026. The clerk’s office is producing a series of short videos showing “real life scenarios” — for example, how to find a voter in the new database or how to complete paperwork for various situations. Town staff also discussed planning practicum-style exercises and role-play sessions so precinct volunteers can practice check-in tasks.

Operational impacts: the presenter noted that the new system is primarily a change to the voter database and the user interface; tabulator hardware and tabulator procedures will not change. Each precinct will continue to receive a physical BCA manual (the “gray manual”) containing passwords, contacts, and troubleshooting guidance; QR codes in that manual will link to the training videos.

Board members asked procedural questions about manuals and verification after viewing videos; staff said they may use simple verification steps rather than graded quizzes and welcomed volunteers for role-play training.