Board for Registration of Voters — Burlington, VT
Date: 2026-01-06
Time: 18:00

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

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




 Page 1 of 4
 BURLINGTON BOARD FOR REGISTRATION OF VOTERS
CITY HALL, 1ST FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM, 149 CHURCH STREET, BURLINGTON, VT,
 05401 OR REMOTELY VIA ZOOM.

 MINUTES OF MEETING
 December 2, 2025




1. Call Meeting to Order
1. Call Meeting to Order
Meeting called to order by Chair Grace Grundhauser at 6:03pm

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
Agenda approved unanimously.


3. Announcements
3. Announcements
No announcements.

4. Meeting Length
4. Meeting Length

4.1. Set Meeting Length
4.1. Set Meeting Length
The meeting length was set to 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.pdf

5.1. Motion to adopt previous meeting's minutes




 Page 2 of 4
Colleen Montgomery made a motion to adopt the minutes from the November meeting. Seconded by Karen
Rowell. Passed 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 29,309 registered voters in Burlington. Out of this total,
5,072 are currently challenged. In November, 128 new voters registered, 90 voters were transferred out of
Burlington into other Vermont towns, and 27 voters were removed from the checklist. Janet Stambolian
asked what happens when a voter is challenged. Sarah Montgomery answered that once challenged, a voter
is sent a letter alerting them and requesting their response. The voter can either respond by saying that they
are no longer eligible to vote in Burlington and would like to be removed from the checklist, they still live at
the same address in Burlington and would like to be reactivated, or they have moved to a different address
in Burlington and would like to update their address and be reactivated. If a voter does not respond to the
challenge, they remain on the checklist for two General Elections, after which the board can vote to remove
them.

8. Approval of Voter Challenges
8. Approval of Voter Challenges
The board reviewed the proposed challenges they received from the Clerk's office. Jeanne Keller made a
motion to approve the challenges. Seconded by Michelle Lefkowitz. Approved unanimously.

9. Election Day Flowchart Review
9. Election Day Flowchart Review
Lesley Gendron shared the election day flowchart — a visual guide to the processes and forms used to help
resolve voter issues on election days. She walked the board through the processes laid out in the flowchart.
Lesley will share the flowchart with the board. Grace Grundhauser noted that, for newer members, the whole
flow chart might feel overwhelming, but that it will make more sense once they have election day
experience.

Kevin Lewis asked if there are wards where there are more voter challenges where it would be beneficial to
train getting more hands-on experience. Lesley Gendron said that there are wards that have a higher
percentage of address changes. Grace Grundhauser made a note that the voters who are challenged on
election day are the same individuals that the board has voted to challenge.

Jeanne Keller shared her appreciation for Lesley Gendron creating the flowcharts.

Grace Grundhauser suggested that it might be helpful to, as the first step in the proposed flowchart process,
look up the voter's address and look them up in VEMs at the same time. Other members noted that this is a
good idea, but may be difficult if they have several voters waiting for help. Annie Schneider suggested that
she always starts helping a voter by looking up their address to ensure they are in the correct ward. Jeanne
Keller noted that some wards are doing a thorough screening at the door to ensure they are in the correct
ward. Lauren Ebersol shared that even with greeters helping voters at the entrance, some voters come
through who are in the wrong ward, so it is always worth checking the address to confirm.

Grace Grundhauser noted that all new members will ideally train for two elections prior to working solo.




10. New Business
10. New Business




 Page 3 of 4
Grace Grundhauser asked board members to think about how they would like to spend the next two
meetings preparing for the March election. She asked if fully trained members are interested in splitting
shifts between multiple wards or spending the whole day at a single location as they have in the past. Lesley
Gendron asked who is fully trained and ready to work solo; she noted that there may not be enough
coverage to split shifts. Annie Schneider noted that, if possible, she would like to start her day at noon, but
she can work the full day if needed. Members expressed their ward preferences. Janet Stambolian asked how
the training shifts work; Grace Grundhauser shared that trainees usually rotate between three wards
throughout the day, but noted that some newer members haven't found that the best way to learn. Grace
asked the new members if they preferred to rotate between wards. Janet Stambolian noted a preference for
staying in one ward. Jeanne Keller said it is helpful to see multiple wards because each polling place is run
differently. Janet amended that she would be open to splitting her day between two polling places. Adam
Franz said he preferred rotating through multiple wards. Kevin Lewis has no preference. Grace Grundhauser
will draft a schedule for coverage. Everyone is available and able to work. Grace also asked members to save
the date for the pre-election volunteer training, which will either be the Wednesday or Thursday evening
prior to the election.

In the January meeting, Lauren Ebersol will ask members to help with volunteer recruitment for the March
election.

Grace Grundhauser proposed doing an election work refresher at the next meeting. She asked if anything
else should be discussed at the next meeting.

Adam Franz said that UVM requested a $30 fee to table there for a voter registration drive. Annie Schneider
asked if there is a UVM club that would sponsor the registration drive. Adam will look into it and circle back.




11. Adjournment
11. Adjournment

11.1. Motion to Adjourn
11.1. Motion to Adjourn
Karen Rowell made a motion to adjourn. Seconded by Jeanne Keller. Approved unanimously.




 Page 4 of 4

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.