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Clerical mapping error put 56 Bennington voters on wrong House ballot; committee hears revote options
Summary
A mapping error after 2022 reapportionment led 56 voters in parts of Pownall and neighboring towns to receive Bennington-5 ballots instead of Bennington-1; the Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee heard options including a full district revote, a partial revote, or affirming certified results.
The Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee on Jan. 14 heard from the Secretary of State’s elections office and the attorney general about an error that caused 56 voters in the Bennington-1 area to be assigned to the neighboring Bennington-5 ballot in both the 2022 and 2024 elections.
Committee chair opened the meeting by directing testimony and saying the panel would focus on the Bennington-1 election issue. Kevin Hartn Habert, Deputy Secretary of State, said the error arose after the 2022 redistricting under Act 89 of 2022 when a center line on a boundary road was used as the dividing line between Bennington-1 and Bennington-5 and was entered incorrectly into the state’s election management system. "We tried to guess what you folks might be thinking about, what questions you may have," Habert said, describing how town clerks use the statewide system and street maps to assign voters to districts.
Sean Sheehan, Director of Elections, explained how the misassignment affected ballots. He said the affected voters received ballots that…
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