Board for Registration of Voters — Burlington, VT
Date: 2025-11-04
Time: 18:00

Board for Registration of Voters

 Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 6:00 PM,

 City Hall, 1st Floor Conference Room, 149 Church Street, Burlington, VT, 05401 OR
 remotely via Zoom.



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. BRV Minutes 10/7/25 BRV Minutes 10/7/25.pdf

6. Public Forum

7. Clerk's Report

8. Approval of Voter Challenges

9. Board Member Expectations
 9.1. Rules and Procedures for the Board for the Registration of Voters
 File Attachments
 1. BRV Rules and Procedures - DRAFT BRV Rules and Procedures - DRAFT.docx

10. New Business

11. Adjournment
11.1. Motion to Adjourn

Board for Registration of Voters

 Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 6:00 PM,

 City Hall, 1st Floor Conference Room, 149 Church Street, Burlington, VT, 05401 OR
 remotely via Zoom.



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. BRV Minutes 10/7/25 BRV Minutes 10/7/25.pdf

6. Public Forum

7. Clerk's Report

8. Approval of Voter Challenges

9. Board Member Expectations
 9.1. Rules and Procedures for the Board for the Registration of Voters
 File Attachments
 1. BRV Rules and Procedures - DRAFT BRV Rules and Procedures - DRAFT.docx

10. New Business

11. Adjournment

 Page 1 of 9
11.1. Motion to Adjourn




 Page 2 of 9
 BURLINGTON BOARD FOR REGISTRATION OF VOTERS
1ST FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL, 149 CHURCH STREET, BURLINGTON,
 VT 05401 OR REMOTELY VIA ZOOM
 MINUTES OF MEETING
 October 7, 2025




1. Call Meeting to Order
1. Call Meeting to Order
Meeting called to order by Vice-Chair Michelle Lefkowitz at 6:00pm.

Members Present: Janet Stambolian, Karen Rowell, Michelle Lefkowitz, Annie Schneider, Grace
Grundhauser, Kevin Lewis, Lauren Ebersol, Adam Franz, Colleen Montgomery, Jeanne Keller, Lesley Gendron,
and Youth Member Will Cunningham

Members Absent: Alison Harte

Others 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
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 to one hour.


5. Adopt Minutes
5. Adopt Minutes

Subject
File Attachments
1. 9/2/25 BRV Minutes 9/2/25 BRV Minutes.pdf

5.1. Motion to adopt previous meeting's minutes




 Page 3 of 9
Karen Rowell made a motion to adopt the minutes. Seconded by Adam Franz. 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 29,231 registered voters in Burlington. Out of this total,
5,100 are currently challenged. In September:180 voters registered to vote, 52 voters were removed from
the checklist, and 101 voters were transferred from Burlington to other Vermont towns.

Sarah reported that the final district boundary audit was submitted to the state. Based on feedback from the
board, additional information about participation of the affected voters was added to the report, better
showing the impact of the incorrect assignments.

8. Approval of Voter Challenges
8. Approval of Voter Challenges
Annie Schneider made a motion to approve the proposed voter challenges. Seconded by Jeanne Keller.
Approved unanimously.

9. Board Member Expectations
9. Board Member Expectations

Subject
File Attachments
1. BRV Rules and Procedures - DRAFT BRV Rules and Procedures - DRAFT.docx

9.1. Rules and Procedures for the Board for the Registration of Voters
Grace Grundhauser explained that this document has been in draft format for many years. The board is now
discussing and updating it, specifically in regard to board member participation expectations. Grace
suggested that the board approve it and keep track of the approved revision dates on the document. Grace
Grundhauser asked Sarah Montgomery if this document should be approved by the attorney's office. Sarah
Montgomery agreed that it could.

Jeanne Keller asked if there should be more specific language about election day attendance — making it
more explicit what the expectations are for attending elections. Will Cunningham agreed that there should be
some more defined structure. Lauren Ebersol agreed, and suggested it be framed similarly to the meeting
attendance requirements. Janet Stambolian asked what the context for making these changes to the
attendance expectations is. Grace Grundhauser said that the rules and procedures didn't previously make it
clear that election day attendance was necessary, but when she looked at statute, she realized that BRV
members are required to be at the polling places because they have authority to determine election day
voter registration eligibility. She also noted that there are more members than polling places, so in theory,
not everyone will always need to work on election day, which is why she drafted language indicating
members should be available. Adam Franz asked what the previous expectations had been. Lauren Ebersol
proposed adding a sentence that says "inability to be available on election day is subject to review." Karen
Rowell suggested increasing the allowance to 3 missed elections before reviewing, since there will inevitably
be valid reasons for members to be unavailable for a single election. Members asked if, when thinking about
the threshold of 3 missed elections, the missed elections should be consecutive or total. Karen Rowell
suggested consecutive. Other members noted that a member could go a really long time without attending
an election if the threshold was 3 consecutive elections missed.

Jeanne Keller noted that in her original proposal, she wanted the process to be more objective, so it would
be an automated process, rather than a member needing to initiate it. Grace Grundhauser noted that she
added into the draft a semi-automatic trigger that would allow members to anonymously add an agenda item
to a meeting if a member had missed enough meetings/elections. Colleen Montgomery said she does not like




 Page 4 of 9
the idea of 3 consecutive elections because members could miss elections frequently, but never meet the
threshold for board discussion. She added that the proposed semi-automatic trigger still puts the onus on the
individual board members to report the absences and add the discussion item to an agenda. Kevin Lewis
agreed that he understood that the purpose of the policy would be to automatically add the item to the
agenda, so an individual member would not be required to take action — he would support the processes
being fully automatic to add the discussion to an agenda, even if it would sometimes end up being a
formality and the absences excused by the board.

Michelle Lefkowitz added that all members should be able to work the elections — even if that meant
doubling-up at a polling place. Other members noted that members could also do shorter shifts to allow
everyone the opportunity to work. Lesley Gendron said that one election might be too harsh — she
recommended two missed elections might be the right number. Lauren Ebersol asked if Grace purposely
removed the language about "excused absences" from the draft procedure. Grace Grundhauser said she
removed it intentionally to make the policy simpler and more concise. Adam Franz said he thinks any
absence should be communicated, so he feels comfortable saying any unexcused absence would be
discussed. Will Cunningham said that people's lives are too subjective and circumstantial to define absences
as excused or unexcused - he thinks it should be two consecutive missed elections, with an automatic trigger
to discuss at the next meeting. Janet Stambolian added that if people aren't showing up to do the work that
they have agreed to do, it warrants a discussion.

Annie Schneider made a motion to change the language to: If you miss 2 consecutive elections, there will be
an automatic trigger to discuss at the next meeting, with the board discussing whether the absences are
excused during the meeting. Adam Franz made a friendly amendment to edit the language to miss two
elections in a two-year period. Annie Schneider accepted the amendment.

Grace Grundhauser said that election attendance would be tracked in the minutes of the meeting following
the election. She asked if this would be triggered if a member was not needed for a certain election. Lesley
Gendon stated that everyone should have the opportunity to work at every election. Kevin Lewis suggested
that any excused absence (like having a baby) could be recorded in the minutes prior to the meeting. Grace
Grundhauser said she feels that might muddy things. Grace Grundhauser wanted to clarify if the board
agrees that everyone will be expected to work every election.

Annie Schneider made a motion to call the question. Seconded by Adam Franz. Question called. Question:
Include in the expectations an automatic trigger to add an agenda item for board discussion if a member
misses 2 elections within a 2-year period.

In Favor: Adam Franz, Lauren Ebersol, Karen Rowell, Grace Grundhauser, Annie Schneider, Jeanne Keller,
Colleen Montgomery, Kevin Lewis, Lesley Gendron, Janet Stambolian
Opposed: Michelle Lefkowitz

Motion passed.

Jeanne Keller made a motion that the review process for non-participation be modified in accordance with
the discussion and be brought back to the board next month for further review. Seconded by Colleen
Montgomery. Passed unanimously.

Grace Grundhauser will amend the draft document per the discussion and present at the next meeting.




10. New Business
10. New Business
Karen Rowell said there will be action requested of the City Council about the recent BRV member
appointment decision, because she feels she should not be the only Republican on the board. She stated that




 Page 5 of 9
the City Council should have appointed the conservative applicant who applied. She stated that there should
be 3 Republicans on the board, and it is not fair that the conservative applicant was not appointed by City
Council. She noted that 37% of the voters in Burlington voted for President Trump, and they should be
represented by the board. She stated that she is suing the city for non-citizen voting, and that she felt
attacked by the board after a resolution regarding that was adopted. She stated that she is in support of
legal immigration. She shared that it is difficult speaking about issues with the board, when everyone else
has opposing political views.

Will Cunningham said that he thinks that it is a good idea to add Republicans to the board — he asked how
that would happen logistically.

Annie Schneider noted that she is hearing the hurt and anger from Karen Rowell. Annie noted that it seems
that City Council followed the procedures correctly because the applicant was not listed as a Republican.
Grace Grundauser said that she heard Annie saying that the letter of the law was followed, but also heard
Karen saying that the spirit of the law was not followed.

Jeanne Keller noted that the quality of the applicant should also be considered — she does not believe that
the City Council deserves the criticism being directed at them.

Grace Grundhauser noted that conversations within the board are welcome, but discouraged back and
fourths between individual members.

Will Cunningham agreed that political representation is important, and he noted that the rule about political
party requirements is to avoid subjective decisions by the appointing board. He asked what action was being
asked of the board. Karen Rowell said that the request for action is being brought to City Council, not to the
BRV.

Annie Schneider said that despite political differences, she appreciates working with Karen Rowell on this
board. Grace Grundhauser echoed the sentiment. Karen Rowell said it takes courage to speak up in this
group, and it can be intimidating.

Colleen Montgomery made a motion to extend the meeting by 5 minutes. Seconded by Janet Stambolian.
Motion passed.

Janet Stambolian asked why Jeff Comstock ran as an Independent. Karen Rowell answered that it is because
being a Republican in Burlington is toxic. She noted that Jeff Comstock was a ward clerk and is well
qualified.

Colleen Montgomery asked about rules for party representation on the board. Grace Grundauser explained
that if there is an applicant from an underrepresented major party, City Council should appoint that
member.




11. Adjournment
11. Adjournment

11.1. Motion to Adjourn
11.1. Motion to Adjourn
Annie Schneider made a motion to adjourn. Seconded by Lauren Ebersol. Passed unanimously.




 Page 6 of 9
Rules and Procedures for the Board for the Registration of Voters
(Proposal 6-1-2021)
PURPOSE: The Board for Registration of Voters is committed to the enfranchisement of eligible
residents through the voting process. Voting is a right and responsibility. The Board
encourages voter registration and acknowledges the right of voters to freely participate in
elections. The Board may actively initiate and participate in voter registration outreach.
The Board’s legal responsibility is to maintain the voting checklist for the City of Burlington by
upholding the Vermont Election Laws (Title 17 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated).
AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The Board for Registration of Voters is responsible for and
has authority for all duties with respect to preparing The City of Burlington’s voter checklist
pursuant to chapters 14, 15, 16 and 43 of the City’s Charter, and Title 17 of the Vermont
Statutes Annotated. The Board shall comply with the Vermont Open Meeting Law and other
laws covering public bodies.
In order to effectively and justly carry out its responsibilities all members will be expected to
familiarize themselves with the Vermont Election Law in Title 17 of the Vermont Statutes
Annotated, along with pertinent sections of the Burlington City Charter. The Board will
maintain an office in City Hall, wherein shall be kept available for public inspection the records
of all legal voters. The Board shall advise any petitioner affected by an adverse decision of his
or her statutory right to be included in the list of legal voters to seek judicial review of such
decision.
MEMBERSHIP: As established by the City-Charter, the Board for Registration of Voters shall
consist of 12 registered Voters of the City of Burlington, appointed by the City Council, with the
Mayor presiding. Appointments to the Board for Registration of Voters shall be for five (5)
years. Members may reapply and may be appointed for successive terms without limitation.
Members of the Board may be removed for incapacity, negligence, or bad conduct when a
majority of the City Council, Mayor presiding vote to remove the member pursuant to Chapter
129 of the Burlington City Charter. In addition and pursuant to this same section, when in the
judgment of two-thirds of the City Council, on the initiative of the Mayor, a member is no
longer effectively serving the city, that member may be removed from the Board.
Therefore because members are expected to actively participate in city elections, meetings and
other Board activities, a member’s continued non-participation in Board activities may result in
the Board’s recommendation to the City Council for removal from the Board.
MEETING ATTENDANCE: Any member who is absent from three (3) or more regular meetings
within any rolling twelve (12) month period shall be subject to review. Attendance is
documented in the official minutes.
ELECTION COVERAGE: Each polling place must be staffed by a Board member during all hours
the polls are open on election day (7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.). This obligation arises from state law
and the Burlington City Charter: 17 V.S.A. § 2144 requires that voter registration and eligibility
issues on Election Day be referred to members of the board of civil authority (or equivalent
 Page 7 of 9
body) present at the polling place; and Burlington City Charter § 43 delegates those checklist
duties to the Board for Registration of Voters. Accordingly, physical presence at each polling
place is a legal responsibility of this Board.
Each member must remain generally available and willing to serve as assigned. The Clerk shall
record in the official minutes of the next regular meeting which members provided polling
place coverage for every election. Any member who is absent from two (2) or more elections
within any two (2) year period shall be subject to review.
REVIEW PROCESS FOR NON-PARTICIPATION: Any member who has reached the meeting or
election attendance threshold above shall be subject to review. The member’s record shall be
automatically included on the proposed agenda for the next regular meeting. The item shall
remain on the agenda unless removed through a formal amendment during agenda adoption at
that meeting. The Board shall then consider whether to recommend to the City Council that the
member be removed and the vacancy advertised. The Board may not remove a member
directly, but may only recommend removal to the City Council, which retains sole authority
over appointments and vacancies.
 A two-third majority vote of the Board is required for such a recommendation to the City
Council.
OFFICERS: At the first meeting of the Board, following the annual appointments, the Board
shall elect a Chair by majority vote. A Vice Chair and Secretary may be elected at the discretion
of the Board. Terms of office shall be one year.
QUORUM: A simple majority of the Board shall be considered a quorum
MEETINGS AND MINUTES: The Board for Registration of Voters shall hold meetings on the first
Tuesday of each month unless otherwise determined by a majority vote of the Board.
Additional meetings are scheduled to accommodate closing of the checklist prior to elections
(Vermont Statute Annotated, Title 17). All meetings of the Board shall be open to the public
except at such times when an executive session is in order. No action shall be taken at any
meeting of the Board without a quorum present. No action shall be taken in executive session.
(See open meeting law)
Roberts Rules of Order revised shall govern proceedings of the Board for all cases which are not
specifically covered by other laws, ordinances, by-laws, or regulations.
Minutes shall be kept of all meetings. The minutes shall be available for public inspection
according to open meeting laws.
WARNINGS OF MEETINGS: In accordance with Vermont Open Meeting Law, the Board shall
provide the Clerk / Treasurer’s Office with notice of regular meetings on or before the Thursday
before the week of the meeting. The Clerk / Treasurer’s Office will warn the meeting. For
special meetings, the Board shall publicly announce at least 24 hours before the meeting the
time, place and purpose with appropriate media and post with the Clerk / Treasurer’s office and
two other public places. Emergency meetings may be held without public announcement,
without posting notices and without 24 hours notices to members, provided some public notice
is given as soon as possible before such meeting.
 Page 8 of 9
SPECIAL MEETINGS: Special meetings of the Board for Registration of Voters may be called by
the Chair, when the Chair deems it expedient or upon the request of two (2) members of the
Board for the purpose of transacting any business designated in the call. In accordance with
Vermont Open Meeting Law, Notice for a special meeting may be made by telephone or other
appropriate technology at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the date of such special
meeting. At such special meeting no business shall be voted on other than that specified in the
call.
ADOPTION OF RULES AND PROCEDURES: The Board may adopt rules and procedures as it may
deem wise for the regulation of its work. Rules may be amended by a two-thirds majority
provided that the proposed amendment(s) have been discussed at two meetings prior to the
meeting at which the amendment(s) will be voted upon.


These Rules and Procedures were adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Board for Registration of
Voters at its meeting on ___________________.




 Page 9 of 9

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
 November 4, 2025




1. Call Meeting to Order
1. Call Meeting to Order
The meeting was called to order by Chair Grace Grundhauser at 6:00pm.

In Attendance: Grace Grundhauser, Kevin Lewis, Adam Franz, Karen Rowell, Colleen Montgomery, Lauren
Ebersol, Lesley Gendron, Alison Harte, Annie Schneider, Youth Member Will Cunningham

Absent: Jeanne Keller, Janet Stambolian, Michelle Lefkowitz

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
Lesley Gendron made a motion to adopt the agenda. Seconded by Kevin Lewis. Approved unanimously.


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 to one hour.


5. Adopt Minutes
5. Adopt Minutes

5.1. Motion to adopt previous meeting's minutes
File Attachments
1. BRV Minutes 10/7/25 BRV Minutes 10/7/25.pdf

5.1. Motion to adopt previous meeting's minutes
Colleen Montgomery made a motion to adopt the minutes. Seconded by Lesley Gendron. 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 29,270 registered voters in Burlington. Out of those,
5,084 are currently challenged. In October: 200 new voters registered, 40 were purged, and 117 were
transferred from Burlington into other Vermont towns.

8. Approval of Voter Challenges
8. Approval of Voter Challenges
Alison Harte made a motion to approve the proposed challenges. Seconded by Lauren Ebersol. Approved
unanimously.

9. Board Member Expectations
9. Board Member Expectations

9.1. Rules and Procedures for the Board for the Registration of Voters
File Attachments
1. BRV Rules and Procedures - DRAFT BRV Rules and Procedures - DRAFT.docx

9.1. Rules and Procedures for the Board for the Registration of Voters
Grace Grundhauser shared the updated draft of the board's rules and procedures, noting that this will be the
third time the board discusses these changes. She highlighted the proposed changes from last month's
version, which included revisions to election day attendance requirements and automating the process in
which absences exceeding the threshold would be added to a meeting agenda.
Grace Grundhauser noted that once the agenda is approved, a board member can always make a motion to
remove the item from the agenda, which could be done by the vote of a simple majority of the board.

Alison Harte noted that a previous member was unable to work election days because her employer would
not give her the day off, and she wondered if these added attendance requirements might prevent great
board members from joining the board. She said this is something potential applicants would need to
consider. Lauren Ebersol noted that the proposed process would allow board members to defend their
position during the meeting discussion where the absences were addressed. Will Cunningham highlighted
that the current language requires all members to attend every election, which is a change from the current
practice. Colleen Montgomery noted that if there are more members trained and available than there are
polling places, shorter shifts could be worked, which might accommodate board members who can't work a
full day, due to work or other obligations.

Karen Rowell asked if, under the membership section, the language could state a minimum of 12 members,
to allow for greater political representation, since this is something that is being pursued. Colleen
Montgomery and Grace Grundhauser noted that it likely couldn't be changed because that language is
derived from the City Charter. Lesley Gendron wondered if that language would only need to be amended if
action was taken to increase the board size. Alison Harte asked what the process would be for a charter
change. Grace Grundhauser stated that it would need to be approved by the voters. Colleen Montgomery
noted that the city charter reference on the website states that there can not be more than six members
from the same political party on the board. Karen asked what the current political make-up of the board
currently is. Lesley Gendron shared the members' party affiliations that are listed on the website.

Alison Harte asked if the same individual needed to cover the full 12 hours at each polling place; Grace
Grundhauser answered no. Grace Grundhauser also brought up the idea of members rotating wards for
different elections, rather than each member always working at the same polling place. Lesley Gendron
agreed that there could be some benefits to that, but noted that it is also important to have stability and
experience within wards.

Lesley Gendon said she thought the discussion about member availability at polling places was getting too in
the weeds, since there are always new incoming members who have varying levels of experience, and the
number of trained and available members always fluctuates. Lauren Ebersol noted the framework in the
procedure can always be updated as the board learns what might not be working.

Kevin Lewis called the question to approve the proposed changes as written.

Kevin Lewis made a motion to adopt the proposed changes. Seconded by Karen Rowell. Approved
unanimously.


10. New Business
10. New Business
Lesley Gendron noted that she will be making some updates to the election day process flowchart and will
share the revised version with the board. She also proposed adding VEMS training to a future agenda once
the flowchart is updated. Lesley will also look at the written scenarios and see if any of them need updates
due to the new system.

11. Adjournment
11. Adjournment

11.1. Motion to Adjourn
11.1. Motion to Adjourn
Lesley Gendron made a motion to adjourn. Seconded to Lauren Ebersol. Passed unanimously. The meeting
was adjourned at 6:35pm.