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Bill

S 297

An act relating to electronic ballot return in local elections

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Thomas Chittenden and 6 co-sponsors

Allows municipalities to adopt electronic ballot return for local elections using a secure system, with transcription to paper ballots and privacy protections.

Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Government Operations
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · S 297

Summary of Bill S.297 (2025-2026) — Vermont

Purpose

  • Authorizes municipalities to adopt electronic ballot return for local elections conducted under the Australian ballot system.
  • Provides a framework to allow towns, cities, and incorporated villages to receive and transmit marked local ballots electronically, with appropriate security and privacy protections.
  • Sets the effective date to July 1, 2026.

Key Provisions and Changes

  • Authorization of electronic ballot return (EBR):

    • Localities may vote at an annual or special meeting to adopt EBR for local elections held using the Australian ballot system.
    • A locality cannot use EBR in the same election in which it votes to adopt the system (i.e., adoption is prospective and requires a separate election action).

  • Scope of EBR use:

    • Once adopted, a locality may only send and receive ballots through a qualified electronic transmission system (QETS).
    • Ballots transmitted electronically must eventually be transcribed to an anonymous paper ballot, and the clerk must process and store that paper ballot as with other ballots under existing law (chapter 51).

  • Qualified electronic transmission system (QETS):

    • A defined system that enables voters to receive, mark, and return a ballot electronically.
    • Must provide and maintain substantial security and integrity protections, including:
    • Security auditability
    • End-to-end encryption
    • End-to-end verifiability
    • Dual-factor authentication
    • Biometric or equivalent digital identity verification technologies

  • Privacy and data use:

    • All data generated by a voter through the QETS must remain confidential.
    • Data may be used only for aggregate voter participation statistics and not for other purposes.

  • Election administration and transparency:

    • Clerks are responsible for transcribing electronically received ballots to anonymous paper ballots and for securing, counting, and storing those ballots in the same manner as other ballots under state law.

  • Guidance and standards:

    • The Secretary of State is tasked with publishing guidance on QETS options, including minimum security standards, voter privacy standards, auditability, and verification technologies.

Who Is Affected

  • Municipalities: Towns, cities, and incorporated villages that choose to adopt EBR for local elections.
  • Voters in adopting municipalities: May vote electronically to return their local ballots, subject to the QETS used by the locality.
  • Election officials (clerks): Responsible for implementing EBR, transcribing electronic ballots to paper, and maintaining secure ballot storage.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Adoption process: A municipality must hold an annual or special meeting specifically for authorizing electronic ballot return; adoption cannot coincide with the election at which the system is used.
  • Implementation: After adoption, ballots may be returned electronically in subsequent elections, using a QETS.
  • Effective date: July 1, 2026.
  • Post-implementation requirements: Clerks must ensure proper transcription to paper ballots and maintain security and storage in line with existing Vermont election laws; data from voters via the QETS is confidential and limited in use.

Additional Context

  • The bill appears to incorporate input from the Mobile Voting Project and election administration professionals, emphasizing security, verifiability, and privacy.
  • It does not mandate universal adoption; instead, it provides a voluntary framework for municipalities choosing to implement electronic ballot return for local elections.

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

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