Voting 🗳 Elections Integrity Is 2 out of 3 Enough?

Oh yes, I’m fired up.
No, I’m not Russian
Seriously
This Voter conspiracy stuff is getting stuck in my craw...
Looking for the letter I received from Vermont Secretary of State
Saying our election I ok,
No “collusion “
Prompted me to find this gem

From my Monkton Scandal archives

Mary, did Will Senning get in touch with you? He was going to respond to your last email to me.

Thanks,

Chris

Christopher D. Winters

Deputy Secretary of State

802.828.2124

www.sec.state.vt.us

From: Alvarita1@aol.com [mailto:Alvarita1@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 12:01 PM
To: Winters, Chris <chris.winters@sec.state.vt.us>
Subject: Fwd: Absentee Ballot

Still looking...

Below are a string of historic emails.

I cannot comprehend how a revote is not included in a request for absentee ballots.

This is a disability access issues as well.

Puzzled...

Mary Gerdt

---

From: Alvarita1@aol.com
To: sos.elections@sec.state.vt.us
Sent: 7/13/2015 12:36:07 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Absentee Ballot

Hello,

I am a registered voter in Monkton.

I requested absentee ballots in February.

Fred taught me how to check all the boxes.

For the school re-vote we got no ballots.

We forgot voting until the day of. The assistant town clerk said we could have town official bring us ballots or we could pick up.

He said not enough time to get ballots out.

I was furious. The now assistant town clerk is the former head of selectboard who tried to tax sale our century farm after 9 months delinquency paying over $8,000.

I did not want to see any town officials. I have had horrible skin issues and am disabled. I am also likely to lose my temper so I avoid going out to see town officials. They have been hateful towards me. They denied this. So my compromise is to vote absentee.

I attached the forms they sent me. 

If this is how a re-vote should go, why bother?

Here are the 2 different responses I got:

This message was refused by AOL on first sending.

-------- Forwarded Message -------- 

Subject:	Re: Absentee ballots
Date:	Tue, 07 Jul 2015 13:57:22 -0400
From:	Stephen Pilcher
To:	Mary E. Gerdt , SelectBoard@monktonvt.com

Dear Ms. Gerdt -

Thank you for your letter and an opportunity to respond to your questions. As you know, it is quite uncommon for school budgets to be defeated in Monkton. This year was the first time I can remember it happening since I moved to Monkton in 1986. Since re-votes are so rare, there was some confusion concerning absentee ballots. Please find attached the Request for Absentee Voter Ballot form that you filled out on February 17th 2015. The boxes checked by you were for Annual Town Meeting, August Primary Election and November General Election. There was no place on this form for you to indicate that you also wanted absentee ballots for any Special Elections that might occur. As it happened the first Special Election for 2015 took place on April 14th to vote on a new Monkton Town School District budget and a new Union High School District #28 budget. You called Town Hall on Monday April 13th saying that you had not received an absentee ballot. The acting Town Clerk at the time realized that a ballot had not been sent to you and offered two different solutions. First to stay open until you arrived to pick up an absentee ballot and second to have a ballot brought to you. You deferred and chose to not receive an absentee ballot. You could also have voted in person on April 15th.

Because the Town of Monkton understood your intent was to receive absentee ballots for all other local elections, you were provided an absentee ballot for the second Special Election on June 9th 2015. The ballot was mailed to you on May 26th and received on June 8th.

With regards to whether you were singled out in some way, there were three citizens in Monkton who filled out a request to have absentee ballots sent for Annual Town Meeting, August Primary Election and November General Election. None of these three were sent absentee ballots for the election on April 15th. The third person, other than your husband, realized that they had not received an absentee ballot, came to Town Hall and picked one up.

We apologize for the confusion and note that the updated Request for Early Absentee Voter Ballot forms have been updated to include an option for "All other local elections". A copy of the updated form is attached.

And

Mary

I guess I'm one of the mean people as I do sit on the selectboard. As I know it, the school district set up a revote for mt.abe that did not give the towns time to distribute absentee ballots. It was an oversite that we will watch for in the future. I'm sorry that no one got back to you in a timely manor.

Anne Layn
--------------------------------------------
On Sun, 7/5/15, Mary E. Gerdt <alvarita1@aol.com> wrote:

Subject: Absentee ballots
To: "SelectBoard@monktonvt.com" <SelectBoard@monktonvt.com>
Date: Sunday, July 5, 2015, 8:34 AM

I am concerned that I didn't receive
my absentee ballot as requested for the school budget
revote.
I was told someone "talked it over" and decided not to send
absentee ballots.
Or was it just my ballot?

I expect a response from your board and from the town clerk
who I emailed.
Apparently I must request a response.

I have sent many emails without response.
In fact, I am cranky enough to start posting on my blog all
the emails I have sent.

Since the town maliciously tried to sell my property, in
violation of my constitutional rights,
I have tried to distance myself from the mean people on the
ridge.
If you can't understand that,
You have not walked in my shoes.

So, from now on, when I send letter to the town, I
expect a response.

Mary Gerdt
Http://traveloguefortheuniverse.blogspot.com

And

  Well, Anne,
So stunned was I, over a 9 month tax sale, that it still makes me furious.
If you decided that was OK, then, yes, you are mean. This farm has been in my family for over 100 years. Yes, I married Fred in 1984. This is my family.
We have lived in the farmhouse since 1992.
We have been squeezed dry by high taxes, property division, my disability.
I never cease from fighting these policies by raising awareness.
So when I want to participate in town politics, I can't do so in person. I can't speak to people who would take my property and never knock on my door.
When I requested an absentee ballot, it was done according to the Secretary of state website.

I should have received the ballot.

From the Secretary:

https://www.sec.state.vt.us/elections/voters/absentee-voting.aspx



On July 6, 2015, at 1:54 PM, Anne Layn <anne.vtlayn@yahoo.com> wrote:


Mary

I guess I'm one of the mean people as I do sit on the selectboard. As I know it, the school district set up a revote for mt.abe that did not give the towns time to distribute absentee ballots. It was an oversite that we will watch for in the future. I'm sorry that no one got back to you in a timely manor.

Anne Layn
--------------------------------------------
On Sun, 7/5/15, Mary E. Gerdt <alvarita1@aol.com> wrote:

Subject: Absentee ballots
To: "SelectBoard@monktonvt.com" <SelectBoard@monktonvt.com>
Date: Sunday, July 5, 2015, 8:34 AM

I am concerned that I didn't receive
my absentee ballot as requested for the school budget
revote.
I was told someone "talked it over" and decided not to send
absentee ballots.
Or was it just my ballot?

I expect a response from your board and from the town clerk
who I emailed.
Apparently I must request a response.

I have sent many emails without response.
In fact, I am cranky enough to start posting on my blog all
the emails I have sent.

Since the town maliciously tried to sell my property, in
violation of my constitutional rights,
I have tried to distance myself from the mean people on the
ridge.
If you can't understand that,
You have not walked in my shoes.

So, from now on, when I send letter to the town, I
expect a response.

Mary Gerdt
Http://traveloguefortheuniverse.blogspot.com

Earth to Monkton Town Clerk:

My name is Mary Gerdt.
I did not receive an absentee ballot for the school budget revote.
I submitted the form for absentee ballots.

Please explain in writing the policy which allowed this.
Is this your policy going forward?


Mary Gerdt

No response...

Thanks for listening even if you have no power.

Mary Gerdt