reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
17 V.S.A. § 2602b
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2602b. Assignment of duties; recount materials

§ 2602b. Assignment of duties; recount materials|(a)(1) The county clerk, with the support of the Secretary of State, shall supervise the recount and shall recruit town clerks or their designees to serve as impartial assistants to the county clerk for operating the vote tabulators and shall consult with the Secretary of State to identify any vote tabulators to be used.  (2) The county clerk may appoint a sufficient number of additional impartial assistants to perform tasks that have not been assigned to recount committee members. (3) On each day of the recount, the town clerk of any town subject to the recount shall be available to the county clerk in person or by telephone to answer any questions the county clerk may have regarding that town's election.   (b)(1) The county clerk shall assign committee members to the following teams:   (A) counting teams comprising at least four persons each, consisting of an equal number of persons representing each candidate, to the extent possible; (B) one vote tabulator team, comprising two persons, each of whom represents a different candidate; and (C) one clerk observer team, comprising two persons, one of whom is from the list of the petitioning candidate and one of whom, if possible, is from the list of the winning candidate who received the lowest number of votes.  (2) Any additional team members shall remain unassigned and shall be used as necessary on the day of the recount.   (c) The Secretary of State shall provide to the recount committee:  (1) fresh seals, manila tags, tally sheets, summary sheets for each town, and other material deemed appropriate by the Secretary of State; and (2) the official return of votes for each town subject to the recount. (Added 1985, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; amended 2013, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 42; 2015, No. 30, § 20, eff. May 26, 2015; 2017, No. 50, § 1.)
17 V.S.A. § 2602d
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2602d. Review of official return of votes; examination of checklist

§ 2602d. Review of official return of votes; examination of checklist|(a)(1) The county clerk shall review the official return of votes for each town, record on the summary sheet for each town the number of ballots counted and the number of voters checked off the checklist on the town's return, and if those two numbers are the same, the checklist for that town shall not be examined.  (2) If those two numbers for a town are not the same, the checklist may be examined in accordance with the following provisions of this section, if requested by one of the candidates subject to the recount.   (b) The checklist from the first container shall be assigned to a team. Two persons who represent different candidates, each acting independently, shall examine the checklist and determine how many voters voted at the polling place, repeating the process until they agree on a number or until they agree to disagree on a number.(c) Then the checklist shall be examined by the remaining members of the team, repeating the process until they agree on a number or they agree to disagree on the number.(d) The results obtained from the two subgroups will be compared and if they do not match, the process shall be repeated until there is agreement among all the members of the team or until team members agree to disagree.(e) The number finally determined by a majority of team members shall be submitted to the county clerk in the presence of the clerk observer team, together with an indication of the nature and extent of any disagreement.(f) The county clerk shall note on the summary sheet for the town the number finally determined, together with a note indicating that the number of people appearing as having voted on the checklist was subject to dispute, if one or more team members did not agree with the number submitted. (Added 1985, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; amended 2013, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 42; 2017, No. 50, § 1.)
17 V.S.A. § 2602f
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2602f. Recount of remaining ballots by vote tabulator

§ 2602f. Recount of remaining ballots by vote tabulator|(a) The vote tabulator team shall operate any vote tabulator used in the recount, with the assistance of the recruited town clerks or designees.(b) The vote tabulator memory card or cards shall be programmed to read only the votes for the election that is the subject of the recount.(c)(1) At the same time as any removed ballots are being hand counted, the vote tabulator team shall take any ballots from each container delivered to them and feed them through a vote tabulator.  (2) The vote tabulator team shall attempt to feed ballots into the vote tabulator in the same direction. (3)(A) If the tabulator refuses a ballot, the vote tabulator team shall announce that occurrence and whether the ballot was counted, and may override that refusal.  (B) If the tabulator continues to refuse the ballot, the vote tabulator team shall announce that occurrence and return it to a counting team for hand counting.  (4) This process shall be used until all ballots from a container have been tabulated by a vote tabulator or otherwise returned to a counting team for hand counting.   (d)(1) This process shall be repeated until all ballots from a town have been fed through a vote tabulator.  (2) If there is more than one container for a town, the tabulator tape shall not be printed until ballots from all containers for that town have been tabulated.   (e)(1) After all ballots from a town have been tabulated by a vote tabulator, the vote tabulator team shall print the tabulator tape containing the unofficial results for that town, and deliver that tabulator tape to the county clerk in the presence of the clerk observer team.  (2) The county clerk shall then record the totals from the tabulator tape onto the summary sheet for the town in the same manner that he or she recorded the individual tally sheet totals from the hand-counted ballots. (Added 1985, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; amended 2013, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 42; 2015, No. 30, § 22, eff. May 26, 2015; 2017, No. 50, § 1.)
17 V.S.A. § 2602h
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2602h. Completing the tally

§ 2602h. Completing the tally|(a) The county clerk shall return all ballots to their container, seal the container, record the seal number on the summary sheet, and write "recounted" and specify the date of the recount on the tag.(b) In the presence of the clerk observer team, the county clerk shall add together the hand count and vote tabulator totals for each town, as recorded on the tally sheets and vote tabulator tape submitted to him or her, record those totals on the summary sheet for that town, and affix his or her seal to that summary sheet.(c)(1) The county clerk shall compare the number of ballots recounted for that town with the number of ballots counted at the town as reported on the official return of votes, and with the number of voters who voted at that town according to the checklist examination, as applicable under section 2602d of this subchapter and recorded by the county clerk on the summary sheet in accordance with that section.  (2) If these numbers differ, the county clerk shall note the amount of the difference on the summary sheets for that town.   (d) If there is more than one town subject to the recount:  (1) this process shall be repeated for each town; and (2) once all towns have been recounted, the county clerk shall add together the totals from each town and record the total for all towns on a master summary sheet and affix his or her seal to that sheet.   (e) The county clerk shall send the summary sheets for all towns together with any master summary sheet, the ballots marked defective or contained in a defective ballot envelope, and any original ballots containing questionable votes to the court and obtain a receipt for that delivery. (Added 1985, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; amended 2013, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 42; 2017, No. 50, § 1.)
17 V.S.A. § 2602i
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2602i. Costs

§ 2602i. Costs|(a) Recount committee members and assistants designated by the county clerk shall be paid by the State at the same per diem and mileage rates and according to the same procedures by which jurors are paid.(b)(1) These and other necessary expenses, as approved by the court, shall be paid by the State through the Court Administrator's Office.  (2) The Secretary of State shall bear the costs of recounts conducted under this subchapter and shall reimburse the Court Administrator's Office. (Added 1985, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; amended 2013, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 42; 2017, No. 50, § 1.)
17 V.S.A. § 2602j
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2602j. Court hearing and judgment

§ 2602j. Court hearing and judgment|(a), (b) [Repealed.](c) Candidates and their attorneys shall be given the opportunity to present evidence to the court relating to the conduct of the recount, how to count questionable votes, and the marking of any ballot as defective in accordance with section 2547 or subsection 2587(d) of this title.(d) On the day of the hearing, the town clerk of any town subject to the recount shall be available in person or by telephone to answer any questions regarding the town's election.(e) If the court determines that any violations of recount procedures have occurred and that they may have affected the outcome of the recount, a new recount shall be ordered.(f) After such hearings or arguments as may be indicated under the circumstances and after it has made a final decision on any questionable votes or defective ballots, the Superior Court, within five working days, shall:  (1) issue a judgment, which shall supersede any certificate of election previously issued; (2) send a certified copy of the judgment to the Secretary of State; and (3) return to the county clerk any ballots containing questionable votes and defective ballots that had been forwarded to the court. (Added 1985, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; amended 2013, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 42; 2017, No. 50, § 1.)
17 V.S.A. § 2602k
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2602k. Recount ties

§ 2602k. Recount ties|(a)(1) If a recount of a primary election results in a tie, the provisions of subsection 2369(b) of this title shall apply.  (2) If a recount of a public question results in a tie, a runoff election shall not be held, and the question shall be certified not to have passed. (3) If a recount of a general election results in a tie, the provisions of this section shall apply, and the court shall order a runoff election to be held, within three weeks of the recount, on a date set by the court.   (b) The only candidates who shall appear on the ballot at the runoff election shall be those who tied in the previous election.(c) The runoff election shall be considered a separate election for the purpose of voter registration under chapter 43 of this title.(d) [Repealed.](e) Warnings for a runoff election shall be posted as required by subchapter 5 of this chapter, except that the warnings shall be posted not less than 10 days before the runoff election.(f) The conduct of a runoff election shall be as provided in this chapter for general elections. (Added 1985, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; amended 2013, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 42; 2017, No. 50, § 1; 2019, No. 67, § 17.)
17 V.S.A. § 2602m
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2602m. Storage and return of election materials

§ 2602m. Storage and return of election materials|(a)(1) After the recount, the county clerk shall store the sealed containers and any other recount materials in the county clerk's vault until returned to the towns.  (2) The county clerk shall release all containers to the respective town clerks after issuance of the court's judgment, together with a copy of the judgment. (3) The respective town clerks or their designees shall transport the containers to the towns from which they came.   (b) Upon receiving from the court any ballots containing questionable votes and defective ballots, the county clerk shall keep them in a sealed container for a period of two years. (Added 2017, No. 50, § 1.)
17 V.S.A. § 2603
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2603. Contest of elections

§ 2603. Contest of elections|(a) The result of an election for any office, other than for the General Assembly, or public question may be contested by any legal voter entitled to vote on the office or public question to be contested.(b) A contest is initiated by filing a complaint with a Superior Court alleging:  (1) that errors were committed in the conduct of the election or in count or return of votes, sufficient to change the ultimate result; (2) that there was fraud in the electoral process, sufficient to change the ultimate result; or (3) that for any other reason, the result of the election is not valid.   (c) The complaint shall be filed within 15 days after the election in question, or if there is a recount, within 10 days after the court issues its judgment on the recount. In the case of candidates for State or congressional office, for a presidential election, or for a statewide public question, the complaint shall be filed with the Civil Division of the Superior Court, Washington County. In the case of any other candidate or public question, the complaint shall be filed with the Superior Court in any county in which votes were cast for the office or question being challenged.(d) The Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure shall apply to contests of elections, except that such cases shall be placed upon a special calendar, and hearings shall be scheduled on a priority basis, as public policy demands that such questions be resolved promptly.(e) After hearing, the court shall issue findings of fact and a judgment, which shall supersede any certificate of election previously issued. If the court finds just cause, the court shall grant appropriate relief, which may include ordering a recount, or ordering a new election. If during the hearing the court receives credible evidence of criminal conduct, the court shall order a transcript of all or part of the testimony to be forwarded to the proper State's Attorney. If a new election is ordered, the court shall set a date for it, after consulting with the Secretary of State; in ordering a new election, the court shall have authority to issue appropriate orders, either to provide for special cases not covered by law, or to supersede provisions of law that may conflict with the needs of the particular situation.(f) The court shall send a certified copy of its findings of fact and judgment to the Secretary of State. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1979, No. 200 (Adj. Sess.), §§ 94, 95; 1981, No. 239 (Adj. Sess.), § 19;  1985, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 6; 1985, No. 196 (Adj. Sess.), § 15; 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 141.)
17 V.S.A. § 2605
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2605. House of Representatives

§ 2605. House of Representatives|(a) A candidate for the office of Representative to the General Assembly in the general election, or any elected town officer in the representative district, or any 25 voters in the representative district may request the House of Representatives to exercise its constitutional authority to judge the elections and qualifications of its own members, by filing a written request with the Secretary of State specifying the candidate or candidates whose election is being challenged. The request must be filed not later than the latest of the following:  (1) 20 days after the date of the election; or (2) 10 days after a final court judgment, if there is a recount under section 2602 of this title.   (b)(1) The Secretary of State shall notify the Attorney General, who shall investigate the facts, take such depositions as may be necessary, prepare an opinion on the law and facts, and send his or her report and opinion to the Clerk of the House at least 10 days before the General Assembly convenes.  (2) If the Attorney General needs additional time to conduct the investigation or prepare the report and opinion required by this subsection, he or she shall alert the Clerk of the House of that need and the date by which he or she plans to submit the report and opinion. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1979, No. 200 (Adj. Sess.), § 96; 2017, No. 50, § 47.)
17 V.S.A. § 2606
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2606. Senate

§ 2606. Senate|(a) A candidate for the office of State Senator in the general election or any 100 voters in the senatorial district may request the Senate to exercise its constitutional authority to judge the elections and qualifications of its own members by filing a written request with the Secretary of State specifying the candidate or candidates whose election is being challenged. The request must be filed not later than the latest of the following:  (1) 20 days after the date of the election; or (2) 10 days after a final court judgment, if there is a recount under section 2602 of this title.   (b)(1) The Secretary of State shall notify the Attorney General, who shall investigate the facts, take such depositions as may be necessary, prepare an opinion on the law and facts, and send his or her report and opinion to the Secretary of the Senate at least 10 days before the General Assembly convenes.  (2) If the Attorney General needs additional time to conduct the investigation or prepare the report and opinion required by this subsection, he or she shall alert the Secretary of the Senate of that need and the date by which he or she plans to submit the report and opinion. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1979, No. 200 (Adj. Sess.), § 97; 2017, No. 50, § 48.)
17 V.S.A. § 2607
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2607. Canvassing committee

§ 2607. Canvassing committee|The canvassing committee for State and national offices shall meet at 10:00 a.m. one week after the day of election to certify the results of the presidential primary. The chair of each major political party shall be given a copy of the official certificate of votes for the election. (Added 1995, No. 38, § 1.)
17 V.S.A. § 2616
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2616. Jurisdiction to prosecute criminal offenses

§ 2616. Jurisdiction to prosecute criminal offenses|The State's Attorney in any county in which all or a part of any violation of this title was committed shall have authority to prosecute such violations. The prosecution shall be conducted before the Vermont Criminal Division of the Superior Court. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 238.)
17 V.S.A. § 2617
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 51 - Conduct of Elections|§ 2617. Jurisdiction of Superior Courts

§ 2617. Jurisdiction of Superior Courts|In all cases for which no other provision has been made, the Superior Court shall have general jurisdiction to hear and determine matters relating to elections and to fashion appropriate relief. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)
17 V.S.A. § 2621
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 53 - Vacancies|§ 2621. Vacancy in office of U.S. Senator or Representative

§ 2621. Vacancy in office of U.S. Senator or Representative|(a) If a vacancy occurs in the office of U.S. Senator or U.S. Representative, the Governor shall call a special election to fill the vacancy. His or her proclamation shall specify a day for the special election and a day for a special primary, pursuant to section 2352 of this title.(b) The special election shall be held not more than six months from the date the vacancy occurs, except that if the vacancy occurs within six months of a general election, the special election may be held the same day as the general election provided the ballots for the special election are able to be distributed by the deadline set forth in section 2479 of this title. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 2019, No. 67, § 18.)
17 V.S.A. § 2622
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 53 - Vacancies|§ 2622. Interim appointment of U.S. Senator

§ 2622. Interim appointment of U.S. Senator|The Governor may make an interim appointment to fill a vacancy in the office of U.S. Senator, pending the filling of the vacancy by special election. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)
17 V.S.A. § 2623
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 53 - Vacancies|§ 2623. Vacancies in offices within this State

§ 2623. Vacancies in offices within this State|(a) In the event of a vacancy in any State, county, or legislative office, the Governor may request the political party or parties of the person whose death or resignation created the vacancy to submit one or more recommendations as to a successor. The proper committee to which a request for recommendation shall be directed shall be:  (1) for State officers, the State committee; (2) for county officers, except justices of the peace and Probate judges, the county committee; (3) for State Senator, the senatorial district committee; (4) for State Representative, the representative district committee; (5) for justice of the peace, the town committee; (6) for Probate judge, the probate district committee.   (b) The Governor may appoint a qualified person to fill the vacancy for the remaining portion of the term, whether or not the appointee is recommended by the party committee. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1981, No. 239 (Adj. Sess.), § 20; 2013, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 44.)
17 V.S.A. § 2630
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 55 - Local Elections|§ 2630. Applicability

§ 2630. Applicability|Except as otherwise provided, and to the extent that such a construction would be reasonable, the provisions of this title shall apply to this chapter. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)
17 V.S.A. § 2631
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 17 - Elections|Chapter 55 - Local Elections|§ 2631. Municipal charters

§ 2631. Municipal charters|(a) Unless otherwise provided by law, when the charter of a municipality provides for procedures other than those established by law, the provisions of that charter shall prevail.(b) Except as provided in subsection (a) of this section, all provisions of law relating to a municipality shall apply to such a municipality with a charter. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 2005, No. M-13 (Adj. Sess.), § 21; 2017, No. 99 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 11, 2018.)