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H 840

An act relating to civil investigations of election law violations

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Martin LaLonde

The bill expands civil Investigative powers for election law violations, enabling demands and sworn depositions while requiring aggregate enforcement reporting to the Secretary of

Read first time and referred to the Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · H 840

Overview

H.840 (2025-2026) of Vermont proposes to expand and clarify the enforcement authority of the state’s principal civil law enforcers—the Attorney General and the State’s Attorneys—for investigating alleged violations of election-related statutes. The bill aims to empower civil investigations into misconduct surrounding elections, election interference, campaign finance, and lobbying, including the use of civil investigative demands and sworn depositions, and to require transparency through public reporting of aggregate investigation data to the Secretary of State.

Purpose and intent

  • Clarify and broaden the Attorney General’s and State’s Attorneys’ authority to conduct civil investigations into alleged violations of Vermont election-related statutes.
  • Enable tools commonly used in civil investigations (without criminal charges) such as:
    • Civil investigative demands (subpoena-like demands for information)
    • Sworn depositions
    • Enforce respondents’ duty to provide information
  • Improve accountability and transparency by requiring aggregate reporting of investigative and enforcement activity to the Secretary of State.

Key provisions and changes (as described in the short-form summary)

  • Extension of civil investigative powers to election law violations, including:
    • Election-related misconduct
    • Election interference
    • Campaign finance violations
    • Lobbying-related violations
  • Authority to issue civil investigative demands.
  • Authority to conduct sworn depositions.
  • Obligation on respondents to provide requested information, presumably with compliance mechanisms.
  • Public reporting requirement:
    • Investigating authorities must share aggregate information about investigations and enforcement actions
    • Reports filed with the Secretary of State’s office

Note: The full text of the bill is not provided in the short form, so specific procedural details (e.g., who can issue demands, scope of information, standards for issuing demands, penalties for noncompliance, remedies, and timelines) are not included here.

who would be affected

  • Respondents alleged to have violated election, campaign finance, or lobbying laws in Vermont.
  • The Office of the Attorney General and State’s Attorneys (as the enforcing authorities) would gain or clarify civil investigative powers.
  • The Secretary of State would receive aggregate data through public reports, increasing transparency.
  • The general public and election stakeholders would have access to aggregated enforcement information.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Status: Introduced in the Vermont House; referred to the Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs on January 29, 2026.
  • No committee meeting history listed in the provided material.
  • The short-form bill indicates an intent to enable civil investigations; it does not specify enforcement timelines, reporting cadence, or due-process protections in the available summary.
  • If enacted, implementation details would likely be addressed in the full bill and committee amendments, including any regulatory rules or amendments to Vermont statutes.

Potential impact considerations

  • Benefits:

    • Stronger enforcement framework for election integrity-related violations.
    • Increased transparency through aggregate reporting to the Secretary of State.
    • Clarified investigative tools could lead to more efficient fact-finding and compliance.

  • Considerations:

    • Guardrails needed to protect due process, avoid overreach, and safeguard confidential or sensitive information.
    • Clear procedures for when civil investigations can be triggered, scope limits, and remedies for violations of investigative demands.
    • How aggregate reporting translates into public accountability without compromising ongoing investigations.

If you’d like, I can expand this with a more granular breakdown once the full bill text is available, including specific statutory cross-references, definitions, and any proposed amendments to existing Vermont statutes.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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