You've made the decision to mail in your vote – what's the next step from there?

You've made the decision to mail in your vote – what's the next step from there?

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You've made the decision to mail in your vote – what's the next step from there?

If you're a registered voter in Vermont, you should have received your general election ballot in the mailbox this week.

While casting your vote in-person is always an option, the Secretary of State has made the process of submitting your ballot in the mail even easier.

The steps are simple - sign, seal, and deliver.

However, there are common mistakes and frequent questions asked every year, so let's clarify them.

You've made the decision to mail in your vote – what's the next step from there?

John Odum, Montpelier City's Clerk, shares it's to "fill out your ballot."

"There's an inner envelope that the ballot needs to be sealed into," says Odum. "That's where you sign an affidavit swearing that this is your ballot."

Each ballot contains a voter ID and a barcode label on it.

Inside the inner envelope, you'll find your name printed on it as well. It's important to put your voted ballot into that inner envelope. Odum says that is one of the big "common mistakes made."

From there, your ballot is delivered to your town or city clerk to be counted.

Many polling places have been approved to start tabulating these ballots thirty days in advance, which Odum says has sped up the process even more before election day.

Jim Condos, the Vermont Secretary of State, says he's most proud of the fact that they've "taken down barriers to voting." He relishes in the fact that they've made voting easier for people while still maintaining their integrity.

Speaking of integrity, voters who think they can "outwork the system" and submit two votes would be deeply mistaken.

The Secretary of State is prepared for a situation if someone should submit their vote through the mail, but still try to vote in person as well. In fact, it's an incident that occurred for them in 2020.

If you already cast your vote in the mail, it's in the system database.

You can go to the polls and insist you didn't vote already, but Condos says you "have to sign an affidavit that says you have not previously voted."

He then emphasized that they "know where that ballot went" and that "they have the capability to investigate and go back" if needed.

This is also true for all crossing town lines as well because poll sites are feeding into the same database.

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