Secretary of State Jim Condos and Deputy Secretary Chris Winters Launch Elections ‘Myth v. Fact’ Page

January 11 2022

Montpelier, VT – Today Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos and Deputy Secretary of State Chris Winters launched an Elections ‘Myth v. Fact’ page on the Secretary of State’s website in an effort to inoculate voters from election related disinformation stemming from baseless conspiracy theories surrounding elections.

This resource is being released in conjunction with the launch of the #TrustedInfo2022 campaign by the National Association of Secretaries of State. #TrustedInfo2022 is a bipartisan effort to combat election disinformation by promoting trusted, official sources like the Vermont Secretary of State’s office.

“Despite the inability of the former President and his allies to provide any evidence of widespread election fraud or wrong-doing in the 2020 election, they continue to spread disinformation and outright lies about the elections process, which has been highly scrutinized, and has proven to be fair and secure, producing accurate results with integrity,” said Condos. “As Vermont’s Chief Election Official, I consider it my duty to provide Vermont voters with accurate, transparent elections information, based on real law and practice, that they can rely on when they see dubious information posted on social media.”

The ‘Myth v. Fact’ page on the Secretary of State’s website is divided by category, based on some of the more common baseless claims made about U.S. and Vermont elections. The page will be updated as a resource to Vermonters as we enter the 2022 election season, and beyond.

“While most of the nation has moved on, the antidemocratic efforts to overturn the 2020 election have left scars in the people’s trust of our public institutions,” said Deputy Winters. “If you have the information to understand how elections actually work, common sense will tell you most of the theories you read online are far-fetched and impossible. Only by being transparent and giving voters the answers they need using facts instead of fabrications and unsupported opinions, can we begin to rebuild this trust. When Vermonters go to the ballot box during 2022, or any year after, they deserve to be informed and confident that their vote will be counted accurately and that the results of our elections match the will of the people.”

The Secretary of State’s Office encourages all Vermonters to reach out to their local election officials or to the Secretary of State’s Office with questions about how elections are administered in Vermont and to, please, think before you link!

The Secretary and Deputy Secretary are longtime advocates for government reform, transparency, and election integrity. Secretary Condos has over 30 years of experience in public service, including as a City Council Chair, State Senator (and Chair of the Senate Government Operations Committee), and as Secretary of State since 2011. Deputy Secretary Winters has served as a School Board Chair and in the Secretary of State’s office for 25 years.