Secretary of StateVermont State Archives
Secretary of StateIncluded is correspondence between the Board of Elections and municipal clerks and the Attorney General's Office concerning various election issues such as the conduct of elections, voter checklists, the security of ballots, and violations to the campaign finance law. There is quite a bit of correspondence and memos between members of the Board on election issues and legislation, upcoming meetings, and the proposed abolition of the Board. The records also include the Board's municipal charter study, undertaken to determine if municipal charters were consistent with the general statutes.
The Board of Elections was created pursuant to Act #172 in 1974. The Secretary of State (Richard Thomas) served as chair. The Board reviewed election legislation and examined the conduct of elections. Starting in 1976, the Board also investigated campaign finance violations. The Board was abolished by Act #34 in 1977, in part because of its last minute attempt to implement new regulations on the eve of the 1976 election.