Board for Registration of Voters

BURLINGTON BOARD FOR REGISTRATION OF VOTERS 1ST FLOOR CITY HALL, 149 CHURCH STREET, BURLINGTON, VT 05401 MINUTES OF MEETING January 6, 2026 1. Call Meeting to Order 1. Call Meeting to Order Chair Grace Grundhauser called the meeting to order at 6:oo pm. In Attendance: Janet Stambolian, Michelle Lefkowitz, Jeanne Keller, Kevin Lewis, Karen Rowell, Colleen Montgomery, Adam Franz, Lesley Gendron, Lauren Ebersol, Grace Grundhauser, Annie Schneider, Alison Harte, Youth Member Will Cunningham Also present: Sarah Montgomery, Assistant City Clerk 2. Agenda 2. Agenda 2.1. Motion to amend/adopt agenda 2.1. Motion to amend/adopt agenda The agenda was approved. 3. Announcements 3. Announcements There were no announcements. 4. Meeting Length 4. Meeting Length 4.1. Set Meeting Length 4.1. Set Meeting Length The meeting length was set for one hour. 5. Adopt Minutes 5. Adopt Minutes 5.1. Motion to adopt previous meeting's minutes File Attachments 1. Board for Registration of Voters Minutes Board for Registration of Voters Minutes 12022025 12022025.pdf 5.1. Motion to adopt previous meeting's minutes Jeanne Keller made a motion to adopt the minutes. Seconded by Lauren Ebersol. Approved unanimously. 6. Public Forum 6. Public Forum No members of the public were present. 7. Clerk's Report 7. Clerk's Report Sarah Montgomery reported that there are currently 29,348 registered voters. Out of the total voters, 5,044 are challenged. In December, 145 new voter registered, 86 voters were transferred out of Burligton into other Vermont towns, and 43 voters were removed from the checklist. The Clerk's office is preparing for the Annual City Election. For this election, there will only be local content on the ballot, which means that All Legal Resident voters can fully participate in the election. Sarah Montgomery shared that the ward 2 polling place will be returning to Integrated Arts Academy, and noted that there are no other polling place changes. She shared that ballots will be mailed out to all active registered voters no later than 2/11. Janet Stambolian asked if the numbers of voters registering each month are predictable. Sarah Montgomery answered that they are roughly the same each month in off-election seasons, but they increase significantly around elections, especially state elections. 8. Approval of Voter Challenges 8. Approval of Voter Challenges Jeanne Keller made a motion to approve the voter challenges as presented, but to exclude two specific voters if their addresses in their voter registration had been updated to be different than what was on the list. Seconded by Michelle Lefkowitz. Approved unanimously. 9. Election Day Prep 9. Election Day Prep Grace Grundhauser reviewed the polling place coverage schedule she sent to the board via email. She made a few revisions based on feedback and shared the updated coverage schedule. Grace asked if everyone was able to successfully log in into the new election management system. A few members have unresolved issues that they will work through. Lauren Ebersol gave an update about volunteer recruitment. She has a list of people who have volunteered at previous elections. She asked if board members would be interested in helping reach out to individuals to help plan election day volunteer coverage. Grace Grundhauser recommended not reaching out to all the potential volunteers since there are so many and the need is for only 10 people total, with 4-hour shifts each. Lesley Gendron recommended reaching out to people who have worked in recent elections and who are comfortable with technology. Grace Grundhhauser shared the BRV Election Day Guide, which is also posted on the City website. She made some revisions and will finalize before the election. She walked through some of the specific additions and changes, reviewing some of the expectations for the conduct of board members at the polling place. Jeanne Keller asked what it meant to "limit remarks about local politicians"? She recommended that the language be more clear, suggesting changing the word limit to avoid. The board agreed to make this revision. Grace noted that the specific phone interpreter information would be pulled out of the guide that is published on the website, but it will still be included in the binder on election day. Alison Harte asked if board members would still receive the listing of each other's phone numbers on election day. Grace confirmed they would, and asked Sarah to include her and Tenzin's phone numbers there as well. She highlighted some additional information she added about assisting All Legal Resident Voters, including the differences in the forms, information about voter registration being public record, and the need to ask directly about citizenship status. Grace Grundhauser highlighted an addition in the guide that shows a very limited scenario where board members would need to ask for an ID from a voter. She noted that the only time a voter in VT needs to present an ID when they are registering to vote is if they are registering online or by mail. She stated that it was previously the Clerk office's procedure to reject new registrants who did not meet this requirement. New guidance from the Secretary of State's office stated that voters registering online or by mail should be allowed to register to vote without the ID presented, but must have their ID verified before they are permitted to vote, so the clerk's office changed their practice. This may result in a voter appearing on the checklist with a "VNP" code. These voters would be directed to the BRV with a card with the checklist code. To assist these voters, the board member should check to see if their ID number (SSN or VT ID #) has been verified in VEMS - if the ID number has been verified, no further action is needed. If the ID # has not been verified, one of the specified ID types should be presented for verification. Sarah Montgomery noted that the ID requirement is to prove the voter's identification, not their residency. Jeanne Keller asked about the social security or VT ID number being unverified. Sarah Montgomery answered that that is a different process and no ID should be reviewed in those scenarios; the voter should continue to write their ID number down on their own. Sarah said that there are only 3 voters currently on the checklist who this scenario applies to. She also noted that if the voter does not have an ID to present, they can fill out a new registration form and be permitted to vote. Adam Franz asked if non-citizen new voter registration forms required ID to be presented on Election Day. Sarah Montgomery answered that there is an option on that registration form to present an ID, only if the voter does not have a VT ID number. This is different from the citizen registration form, because we are unable to enter our resident voters into the state system, and are unable to verify a social security number due to that. Sarah noted that the majority of currently registered resident voters have provided their VT ID number, so generally this secondary ID verification has not been required. The board members discussed the VNP code needing to be added to the BRV to Ward Clerk form and the flow chart needing to be updated with this scenario. Alison Harte asked when Front Porch Forum outreach posts should be done prior to the election. The board discussed the content of the post. Jeane Keller recommended posting something after the ballot mailing goes out, alerting people of steps to take if they did not receive a ballot. Sarah Montgomery added that it might be helpful to also post asking people to verify their information is current before the ballot mailing data is finalized. Karen Rowell asked that the information be shared further than just on Front Porch Forum. She recommended the Daily Chronicle and The Morning Drive radio program. Alison Harte noted that the Daily Chronicle may charge a fee for posting. Karen Rowell said they may be willing to write a story for free; Grace Grundhauser suggested asking them if they would waive the fee. 10. New Business 10. New Business No new business. 11. Adjournment 11. Adjournment 11.1. Motion to Adjourn 11.1. Motion to Adjourn Michelle Lefkowitz made a motion to adjourn. Seconded by Jeanne Keller. Approved unanimously.

Board for Registration of Voters Tuesday, January 6, 2026, 6:00 PM, 1st Floor City Hall, 149 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401 Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/93712437108 Meeting ID: 937 1243 7108 1. Call Meeting to Order 2. Agenda 2.1. Motion to amend/adopt agenda 3. Announcements 4. Meeting Length 4.1. Set Meeting Length 5. Adopt Minutes 5.1. Motion to adopt previous meeting's minutes File Attachments 1. Board for Registration of Voters Minutes 12022025Board for Registration of Voters Minutes 12022025.pdf 6. Public Forum 7. Clerk's Report 8. Approval of Voter Challenges 9. Election Day Prep 10. New Business 11. Adjournment 11.1. Motion to Adjourn