A town in Vermont's Bennington County has reason to boast, after racking up an impressive voter turnout, percentage-wise.
"There's just a, seems to be, culture of civic engagement here," said Chrystal Cleary, the town clerk of Landgrove.
Landgrove topped all other communities in Vermont in percent turnout of eligible voters this election cycle, according to state data.
Out of Landgrove's 144-person checklist, 94% of voters participated.
More on the 2020 Election
"I'm very proud," Cleary said, noting the figure is high even for a town known for strong turnouts. "A lot of people in our town are proud, too."
Cleary said many of her neighbors just love the experience of coming to a former one-room schoolhouse, sitting down at an antique child's desk, and filling out their ballots in-person.
"I commend them for having such a high turnout," said Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos, a Democrat.
According to data published on the website of the Secretary of State's office, Landgrove narrowly edged Brunswick, which had a 93% voter turnout.
Many other towns racked up totals in the 60, 70, or 80% range, according to the website.
In an interview Thursday with NECN and NBC10 Boston, Condos noted he is still waiting for voter numbers to be finalized. However, he said statewide, it looks like the total turnout will approach 370,000. The previous high was 326,000, he pointed out.
Early voting options like mail-in ballots or drop-boxes were expanded this year because of the pandemic.
"To make sure people didn't have to choose between their health and safety and their ability to vote—their constitutional right," Condos said of his office's work to expand voting access.
Cleary is already wondering if Landgrove can improve on its 2020 showing.
"A hundred percent? Imagine—maybe next election we'll get 100 percent," Cleary said.
If you're curious how Landgrove voted, it went purple this year, as most Vermont towns did: strongly choosing Democrat Joe Biden for president and Republican Phil Scott for Vermont governor.
