Q&A With Candidates for Secretary of State 

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• Courtesy
• From left: Sarah Copeland Hanzas, H. Brooke Paige

The Secretary of State's Office manages trademarks, professional licensing, and regulation of business services including data brokers, telemarketers and amusement ride operators. It's also responsible for overseeing Vermont elections. Its elections division maintains a database of lobbyists and one for campaign finance disclosures, and it works with local Boards of Civil Authority to ensure that the checklist of registered voters is accurate. The current Secretary of State, Sarah Copeland Hanzas, first elected in 2022, is running for a second term.

Sarah Copeland Hanzas

Age: 54
Town of residence: Bradford
Occupation: Secretary of State
Political party: Democratic
Website: sarahforvermont.com

How secure are Vermont's elections? What, if anything, needs to change?

Vermont's elections are among the most secure and accessible in the nation. We have robust measures ensuring that every vote is counted accurately and protected from interference. However, there is always room for improvement. Continual assessment of our systems is crucial to ensuring that we remain leaders in election integrity.

H. Brooke Paige

Age: 71
Town of residence: Washington
Occupation: Retired sales executive and retail CEO
Political party: Republican
Website: None — contact [email protected]

How secure are Vermont's elections? What, if anything, needs to change?

The creation of universal vote-by-mail elections, the liberalization of vote harvesting and extending Election Day to an "election season" all expand the opportunities for errors, omissions and fraud — all are at variance with Vermont's constitutional election process. If elected, I would make sure that the office returns to its constitutionally authorized duties.