Vermont Corrects Voter Registration Error as Rhode Island Campaign Faces Finance Complaint

As voters prepare to go to the polls, election officials in Vermont and Rhode Island are addressing two separate concerns: an administrative error in Vermont’s voter registration system and a campaign finance dispute in Rhode Island.

Vermont: DMV registration error corrected before Election Day

In Vermont, officials removed nearly 900 people from the voter rolls in August after finding that they had been registered through the Department of Motor Vehicles despite opting out. State officials attributed the problem to human error in transferring DMV information to the Secretary of State’s office. They said none of the people removed had voted in Vermont elections. Officials did not determine how many, if any, were ineligible to vote.

The registration error did not establish that ballots had been cast improperly. Vermont’s secretary of state said the state reviewed its records and removed people who had not otherwise shown an intent to register. DMV officials said they had strengthened staff training and data checks to prevent similar errors.

Rhode Island: Campaign finance amendments and unresolved allegations

In Rhode Island, the dispute concerns campaign spending reports filed by Republican lieutenant governor candidate John Loughlin. His initial report for the final preelection period listed $659 in expenses and did not disclose more than $83,000 in public matching funds. After filing amendments, the reported spending rose to more than $58,000. The Board of Elections assessed a $25 late filing fine after determining that the changes were material. The fine concerned the late amendment. It was not a finding that campaign funds had been misused.

Democratic Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos’s campaign separately asked the Board to investigate whether Loughlin’s campaign manager benefited from commissions connected to television advertising purchases. Matos’s campaign alleged that public matching funds may have been used improperly. Loughlin denied that money went to his campaign manager, saying the campaign directed the stations to put the commission amounts toward additional advertising. The Board did not confirm whether it had opened an investigation.

What the record shows

The Vermont matter involved a voter registration system error that officials said they corrected before those voters cast ballots. The Rhode Island matter involves amended campaign finance disclosures and allegations that remain disputed. Neither development, based on the records and reporting available Monday, establishes widespread voter fraud or a finding that the Rhode Island campaign diverted public funds.