Vermont Secretary of State election, 2016
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August 9, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Jim Condos (D) |
Jim Condos (D) |
Governor • Lt. Governor Attorney General • Secretary of State Treasurer Down Ballot Auditor |
May 26, 2016 |
August 4, 2016 |
August 9, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
November 23, 2016 |
January 5, 2017 |
Vermont held an election for secretary of state on November 8, 2016, with primary elections on August 9. Incumbent Jim Condos (D) won re-election, defeating third-party candidate Mary Alice Herbert.
Overview
The secretary of state is the state's chief administrative officer and is responsible for overseeing state records and archives and administering state elections.
Vermont was under Democratic trifecta control at the time of the election; Democrats held the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. Vermont voters tended to re-elect incumbent secretaries of state by large margins, while open elections for the office were historically close.
Mary Alice Herbert was the sole candidate to file to run against incumbent Jim Condos (D); she ran as a Liberty Union Party candidate.
The 2016 election for secretary of state was unlikely to be competitive with an incumbency advantage for Condos and no major party challengers.
Candidates
Jim Condos (D)
Secretary of state since 2011
Mary Alice Herbert (Liberty Union Party)
Retired public school teacher
Results
General election
Incumbent Jim Condos defeated Mary Alice Herbert in the Vermont secretary of state election.
| Vermont Secretary of State, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Jim Condos Incumbent |
89.57% | 255,201 | |
| Liberty Union Party | Mary Alice Herbert | 10.43% | 29,711 | |
| Total Votes | 284,912 | |||
| Source: Vermont Secretary of State | ||||
Primary elections
Democratic primary election
Incumbent Jim Condos ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for secretary of state.
| Democratic primary for secretary of state, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jim Condos Incumbent (unopposed) |
81.76% | 59,818 |
| Write-in votes | 18.24% | 13,344 |
| Total Votes (275 of 275 Precincts Reporting) | 73,162 | |
| Source: Vermont Secretary of State | ||
Context of the 2016 election
Primary elections
A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. Vermont utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary. Vermont state law is unique in that it allows candidates to run in multiple primary elections at the same time, whether for multiple offices or for the same office under multiple parties. However, a candidate may only appear once on the general election ballot.[1][2][3]
Vermont's primary elections took place on August 9, 2016.
Incumbent Jim Condos (D)
Condos was first elected in 2010's open race, defeating Republican Jason Gibbs by a margin of nine percentage points. No major party candidates filed to run against him in the primary or general elections in either 2012 or 2014, and he won re-election by 73 and 60 percentage points respectively.
Prior to his tenure as secretary of state, he served in the Vermont State Senate from 2001 until 2008 and on the South Burlington City Council from 1989 until 2007. He also has experience working in the private sector for a Fortune 100 company and for a $30 million family-owned grocery distribution company.
Party control in Vermont
Vermont was under Democratic trifecta control at the time of the election; Democrats held the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The state's electoral votes went to the Democratic presidential candidate from 1992 to the election, though Vermont went to Republicans for the six presidential elections prior.[4] At the time of the election, the state had been represented in the U.S. Senate by Democrat Patrick Leahy since 1975, and by Bernie Sanders since 2007, who won election as an independent candidate, but changed party affiliation in 2015 to seek the Democratic nomination for president.
The office of secretary of state in Vermont tended to alternate party control every 10 to 15 years from the 1960s to the election. Prior to 1965, Republicans had held the seat since 1855. Vermont voters tended to re-elect incumbent secretaries of state by large margins, while open elections for the office were historically close.[5][6]
Campaigns
Campaign finance
Note: If a candidate does not appear below, he or she did not meet or exceed minimum reporting requirements. Cash-on-hand figures were not available.
| Jim Condos Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| First quarter | March 15, 2016 | $ | $0.51 | $(395.00) | $ | ||||
| Second quarter | July 15, 2016 | $ | $2,150.24 | $() | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $2,150.75 | $(395) | ||||||||
Campaign media
Note: If a candidate is not listed below, Ballotpedia staff were unable to locate any campaign media for that candidate. Do you know of any? Tell us!
Democrats
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About the office
The secretary of state for Vermont is one of five cabinet-level constitutional officers in the state of Vermont which are elected every two years. The secretary of state is the state's chief administrative officer and is responsible for overseeing state records and archives, and registering and licensing businesses. Additionally, the secretary of state administers state elections and manages the disclosure of political spending by campaigns and other organizations such as political action committees.[7]
==Incumbent
The incumbent was Jim Condos (D). Condos was first elected to the statewide executive position in November 2010.
Qualifications
There are no specific qualifications for this office.
Authority
The Vermont Secretary of State's office is established in the Vermont Constitution. Chapter 2, Section 43 describes the officers to be elected in biennially.
Chapter 2, Section 43:
Biennial Elections
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Past elections
2014
Democratic incumbent Jim Condos won re-election on November 4, 2014.
| Secretary of State of Vermont, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Jim Condos Incumbent |
74.7% | 126,427 | |
| Progressive | Ben Eastwood | 14.5% | 24,518 | |
| Liberty Union | Mary Alice Herbert | 10.3% | 17,460 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 730 | |
| Total Votes | 169,135 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State | ||||
2012
| Vermont Secretary of State General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Jim Condos Incumbent |
86.6% | 225,801 | |
| Liberty Union | Mary Alice Herbert | 13.1% | 34,105 | |
| Independent | Write-in | 0.3% | 876 | |
| Total Votes | 260,782 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Jim Condos won election to the office of Secretary of State of Vermont. He defeated Jason Gibbs (R) and Leslie Marmorale (Liberty Union) in the general election.
| Secretary of State of Vermont, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Jim Condos |
53.5% | 122,599 | |
| Republican | Jason Gibbs | 44.1% | 101,144 | |
| Liberty Union | Leslie Marmorale | 2.3% | 5,315 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.1% | 222 | |
| Total Votes | 229,280 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Deb Markowitz won re-election to the office of Secretary of State of Vermont. She defeated Eugene J. Bifano (R), Marjorie Power (Progressive) and Leslie Marmorale (Liberty Union) in the general election.
| Secretary of State of Vermont, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Deb Markowitz Incumbent |
70.9% | 214,197 | |
| Republican | Eugene J. Bifano | 23.2% | 70,114 | |
| Progressive | Marjorie Power | 4.6% | 13,856 | |
| Liberty Union | Leslie Marmorale | 1.3% | 3,871 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.1% | 185 | |
| Total Votes | 302,223 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
2006
On November 7, 2006, Deb Markowitz won re-election to the office of Secretary of State of Vermont. She defeated Cheryl Moomey (R) and Boots Wardinski (Liberty Union) in the general election.
| Secretary of State of Vermont, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Deb Markowitz Incumbent |
72.7% | 184,914 | |
| Republican | Cheryl Moomey | 25.4% | 64,508 | |
| Liberty Union | Boots Wardinski | 1.9% | 4,827 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.1% | 144 | |
| Total Votes | 254,393 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
2004
On November 2, 2004, Deb Markowitz won re-election to the office of Secretary of State of Vermont. She ran unopposed in the general election.
| Secretary of State of Vermont, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/Republican | Deb Markowitz Incumbent |
99.4% | 270,744 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.6% | 1,737 | |
| Total Votes | 272,481 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
2002
On November 5, 2002, Deborah Markowitz won re-election to the office of Secretary of State of Vermont. She defeated Mike Bertrand (R), Leslie Yvonne Scaffidi (Liberty Union) and Tina M. Thompson (Vermont Grassroots) in the general election.
| Secretary of State of Vermont, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Deborah Markowitz Incumbent |
58.8% | 131,469 | |
| Republican | Mike Bertrand | 37.1% | 82,905 | |
| Liberty Union | Leslie Yvonne Scaffidi | 0.9% | 1,968 | |
| Vermont Grassroots | Tina M. Thompson | 3.2% | 7,166 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.1% | 113 | |
| Total Votes | 223,621 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
2000
On November 7, 2000, Deb Markowitz won re-election to the office of Secretary of State of Vermont. She defeated Larry Drown (R) and Leslie Yvonne Scaffidi (Liberty Union) in the general election.
| Secretary of State of Vermont, 2000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Deb Markowitz Incumbent |
61.3% | 170,403 | |
| Republican | Larry Drown | 36.6% | 101,783 | |
| Liberty Union | Leslie Yvonne Scaffidi | 2% | 5,650 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.1% | 319 | |
| Total Votes | 278,155 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Vermont secretary of state election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
State profile
| Demographic data for Vermont | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 626,088 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 9,217 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 94.9% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 1.9% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 1.7% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 36% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $55,176 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Vermont. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Vermont
Vermont voted for the Democratic candidate in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Vermont, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[8]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Vermont had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Vermont coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Vermont
- United States congressional delegations from Vermont
- Public policy in Vermont
- Endorsers in Vermont
- Vermont fact checks
- More...
See also
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Vermont government: |
Previous elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ National Archives and Records Administration, "Historical Election Results," accessed July 25, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Historical Elections Database," accessed July 29, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Secretaries of State," accessed July 29, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "State Law," accessed July 29, 2016
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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