Court Opinion

ID: 9898769
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-15 00:14:02.124085+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:17:04.983182
License: Public Domain

STATE OF VERMONT PILED

WASHINGTON COUNTY, SS. - IA
)
In Re: Petition of ) Docket No. 6intals RAAReGoURT
EVA M. MORSE, ) TE es
Town Clerk, Town of Calais )

FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND ORDER

This matter came before the court on a Petition of Eva M. Morse, Town Clerk for
the Town of Calais, for an order permitting her to unseal the ballot bags from the
November 5, 2002 general election to remove the list of persons who applied for absentee
ballots for that election.

Pursuant to 17 V.S.A. §2590, the Town Clerk is required to seal certain election
materials after an election. Pursuant to 17 V.S.A. §2534, the Town Clerk is required to
make a list of early or absentee voters, and to make that list available upon request at the
town clerk’s office. Such list is not on the list of election materials to be placed under
seal after the election. Eva M. Morse states that when she sealed the election materials in
the ballot bags after the November 5, 2002 general election, she inadvertently enclosed
the list of persons in one of the sealed ballot bags. She has had a request to provide the
list, and cannot do so without unsealing the ballot bags. Under 17 V.S.A. §2590(c), the
Town Clerk may not permit the sealed ballot bags to be tampered with in any way except
under court order. There is no specific provision authorizing the Town Clerk to open the
ballot bags to retrieve a document inadvertently sealed inside. 17 V.S.A. §2617 |
authorizes this court to determine matters relating to elections and fashion appropriate
relief in cases for which no other provision has been made.

The Town Clerk cannot comply with ongoing requirements to maintain as a public
record and provide upon request a list of the early and absentee voters unless she is
permitted to retrieve such list from the ballot bags. This is a lawful purpose, basedona
specific statutory duty, and supports her request to open and reseal the sealed ballot bags.
Based on the foregoing, relief is provided as follows:

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Calais Town Clerk is authorized to open the
sealed ballot bags from the November 5, 2002 general election for the sole purpose of
retrieving the list of early and absentee voters and maintaining it in the town clerk’s office
as a public record. She is further required to reseal the ballot bags. without removing any
other items.

Dated at Montpelier this 5" day of February, 2003.

Maw Wiles Leach
Hon. Mealy Miles Teachout
Superior Judge, presiding