MONTPELIER, Vt. -
Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos had a busy week between the primary and working on a new web page where Vermonters can get up-to-the minute results.
It was the first year the Secretary of State had set up this web page where town clerks across Vermont could report the vote tallies from their districts on election night but not all of them joined in on the new program.
77% of precincts reported results to the Secretary of State web site. A 'C' by school standards but Jim Condos is hoping for a full cooperation next year.
"The only way the site will work really well is that everyone participates," Condos said.
Town Clerks usually report results to the a-AP and other press outlets. But the secretary of state hopes their web site can become the central place for Vermonters to get all results.
"Secretary of state's office should be clearing house on election night," Condos said.
Milton Clerk John Cushing signed on to the plan this year. He says having a central location would make it easier on a busy night for his office.
"Rather than sending it to four or five different places you're sending it to one," Cushing said.
But if everyone doesn't participate, the results remain incomplete which is why Condos says the state house might have to step in.
"Chances are if we go to the legislature and ask them that they require that clerks participate," Condos said.
But technology could cause problems. A computer glitch temporarily kept clerks from submitting reports but was quickly fixed. Cushing thinks, despite the bug, the new site is going in the right direction.
"In this particular case I personally had no problem with it what so ever," Cushing said.
