Secretary of state explains voter‑data exports, ERIC links and warns Save Act would impose new document burdens

At a House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee hearing, Deputy Secretary of State Lauren Heather described how Vermont shares voter data, the limits on exports of the statewide voter checklist, the state’s participation in ERIC, and potential effects of the federal "Save Act" if enacted.

Heather told the committee that the statewide voter‑checklist export is available on request but only after a requester signs an affidavit stating the data will be used for noncommercial purposes and will not be provided to foreign governments. “You can ask for that. You have to submit an affidavit that you’ll only use it for noncommercial purposes and will not disclose it to foreign governments,” she said.

She explained the distinction between an absentee ballot and a universal vote‑by‑mail ballot under Vermont law: absentee ballots are used when an election is otherwise conducted in person (for example, the presidential and statewide primaries), whereas the November general election is conducted under universal vote‑by‑mail. Heather said both the voter‑checklist export and absentee‑ballot reports are provided on demand and not posted publicly.

On interstate data sharing, Heather described Vermont’s membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), which compares data across member states to identify voters who have moved or who appear in multiple states, and helps with death‑record comparisons. She also described the DMV’s role in automatic registration: registration data from DMV flows into the Secretary of State’s systems when an applicant attests to citizenship at DMV, but not when an applicant lacks proof of citizenship.

“We only get registrations from those who say they are a citizen and can prove they’re citizens at the DMV level,” Heather said. She noted the state issues enhanced driver’s licenses — which verify citizenship and can be used to cross the Canadian border — and that Real ID is different because Real ID can be issued based on lawful presence without showing citizenship.

Heather warned the committee that the Save Act, which she said had passed the House and was pending in the Senate, would require certified copies of birth certificates (and certified documents for any subsequent name changes) to verify citizenship. She said that would impose substantial burdens on voters who do not already hold passports or enhanced licenses and would require IT changes because the secretary of state’s office would have to accept and securely store certified documents.

“The Save Act has really big ramifications, for Vermont,” Heather said, noting the administrative and technical costs of storing certified copies and the uneven availability of standardized birth‑certificate formats across jurisdictions.

Heather also addressed security concerns around automated scraping and bot activity. She said the office receives many automated “pings” but has not identified a pattern of bot‑generated public records requests; public‑records requests are submitted through a form that requires detailed, handwritten‑style answers. For API requests, Heather said the office would seek agreements governing use and security from paying recipients.