Vermont Statutes
Chapter 11 - Union School Districts
§ 723. Decision to vote by Australian ballot

§ 723. Decision to vote by Australian ballot
(a) If a union school district’s articles of agreement do not provide that the election of board members or district officers, budget votes, or votes on other public questions shall proceed by Australian ballot, then the voters of a union school district may vote to do so at any annual or special meeting of the union school district where the question has been duly warned.
(b) Any category of vote to be taken by Australian ballot shall proceed in this manner in all towns within or member districts of a union school district.
(c) If voting in a unified union school district proceeds by Australian ballot, then the provisions of sections 739–742 (vote by Australian ballot) of this chapter shall apply to all votes taken by Australian ballot.
(d) If voting in a union elementary or union high school district proceeds by Australian ballot, then the voters shall also determine whether the ballots shall be commingled prior to counting total votes cast by Australian ballot in the union district.
(1) If the voters determine that the ballots shall not be commingled for counting in this manner, then the board of civil authority of each town within the union elementary or union high school district shall count the ballots cast in that town and report that town’s results to the clerk of the union elementary or union high school district, who shall calculate the total votes cast within the district and report the total result to the public.
(2) If the voters determine that the ballots shall be commingled for counting, then the ballots shall be deposited in separate ballot boxes at each polling location and the provisions of sections 757–759 (vote by Australian ballot) of this chapter shall apply.
(e) The vote on whether to proceed by Australian ballot shall be taken by paper ballot.
(f) Unless clearly inconsistent, the provisions of 17 V.S.A. chapter 55 shall apply to actions taken under this section. (Added 2021, No. 176 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. June 7, 2022.)

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