August 2002 Press
Release
Press Release
For Immediate Release Contact: Marianne Lynch
802-828-2148
August 12, 2002
Primary Election Voting Starts This Week!
Vote by mail or vote early - just vote!
Montpelier. Secretary of State Deborah L. Markowitz today urged Vermonters to exercise their right to vote early or vote by mail in the upcoming Primary Election. Markowitz said "The polls may not open until Primary Day, September 10th, but voters can stop in at the town clerk's office any time within thirty days of Election Day and cast their ballot."
Vermonters who are registered to vote may vote in the upcoming primary election as early as today, by visiting their town clerk's office during office hours to vote or by calling the municipal clerk to request that a ballot be mailed to them.
Markowitz said "One of the most common reasons Vermonters give for not voting is that they have no time to get to the polls on Election Day or to wait in long lines to vote." She continued, "this year I am urging Vermonters to exercise their right to vote without going to the polls."
To vote, Vermont residents must be registered in the town where they live. The deadline for voter registration for the primary election is noon, Saturday, August 31st. You can also mail an application from the Department of Motor Vehicles or from any voter registration agency on or before Saturday, August 31st and it will be considered timely. Call your clerk or the Secretary of State's Office at 1-800-439-8683 to find out how to register. Apply for your absentee or early voting ballots at the same time you register!
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Press Release
For Immediate Release Contact: Marianne Lynch
802-828-2148
August 18, 2002
Secretary of State Publishes "A Matter of Public Record:
A Guide to Vermont's Public Records Law"
Randolph. Today, at the Vermont Municipal Clerks and Treasurer's Association Spring Meeting at Vermont Technical College, Secretary of State Deb Markowitz and Manchester Town Clerk Linda Spence announced the publication of the Best Practice Standards For Indexing Land Record Instruments.
Secretary Markowitz said, "in 1999 my office issued a report of a summer study committee on the Computerization of Land Records. The committee found that Vermont's land records could not effectively be computerized because every town uses a different indexing standard. The committee recommended that as a first step toward future computerization, the Vermont Clerks and Treasurers' Association work with my office and the Public Records Division to identify recommended uniform standards for the indexing of Vermont land records. We are pleased to announce today the publication of those standards."
Linda Spence, the President of the Vermont Municipal Clerks and Treasurer's Association (VMCTA) added, "The Best Practice Standards For Indexing Land Record Instruments is not binding on our towns. Nevertheless, this guidebook provides Vermont's town clerks with a set of standards to encourage uniform indexing of land records in towns across Vermont." Spence added, "The VMCTA is planning to begin a program of "certifying" clerk's offices - and we plan to use this Best Practice Standards as a tool in this process."
Markowitz added, "Reliable and clearly indexed land records are essential to ensure the economic well-being of Vermont. Land records document transactions that have a tremendous impact on Vermont's financial health. Every year there are more than 40,000 property transfers, involving more than $1,500,000,000 and generating over $17,000,000 in property transfer taxes. While we recognize that every town has different needs, we also know that Vermont cannot move into the future - a future that could include computerization- without some uniformity."
The new Best Practice Standards is the product of over a year of hard work by a committee that was convened by the Secretary of State and the Vermont Municipal Clerks and Treasurer's Association. Committee members include, in addition to Linda Spence and Secretary Markowitz, Mark Reeves of the Department of Public Records, Gregory Sanford, State Archivist, Town Clerks; Jessica Alexander, Jehrico, John Cushing, Milton, Nicole Daigle, Derby, Tim Hanson, Ripton, Deb Russo, Northfield, Deborah LaRiviere, Bolton, Joyce Mazzucco, Randolph, Pattie McCoy, Poultney, Lindy Wells, Worcester, Paralegals Barbara McVicar and Tina Wyles, Attorneys, Liam Murphy and Andrew Mikell (Vermont Attorneys Title Corporation) and Land Surveyor, Peter Chase.
For a copy of the Best Practice Standards For Indexing Land Records, please call (802) 828-2363 or get the online publication at www.sec.state.vt.us/municipal/pubs/best_practices.pdf
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