Pamala Smith

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Pamala Smith

Independent

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Graduate

University of Vermont, 2001

Personal

Birthplace

Worcester, Mass.

Religion

None

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

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Personal Facebook

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Pamala Smith (independent) ran for election for Vermont Secretary of State. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Pamala Smith was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. She earned a master's degree from the University of Vermont in 2001. Smith's career experience includes working in information technology support with the University of Vermont David W. Howe Memorial Library.

Elections

2020

See also: Vermont Secretary of State election, 2020

Vermont Secretary of State election, 2020 (August 11 Democratic primary)

Vermont Secretary of State election, 2020 (August 11 Republican primary)

General election

General election for Vermont Secretary of State

Incumbent Jim Condos defeated H. Brooke Paige, Pamala Smith, and Cris Ericson in the general election for Vermont Secretary of State on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Condos (D)	61.9	214,666
		H. Brooke Paige (R)	28.7	99,564
		Pamala Smith (Independent)	6.1	21,210
		Cris Ericson (Vermont Progressive Party)	3.2	11,171
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	309

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 346,920
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Vermont Secretary of State

Incumbent Jim Condos advanced from the Democratic primary for Vermont Secretary of State on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Condos	99.6	96,885
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	358

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 97,243
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Vermont Secretary of State

H. Brooke Paige advanced from the Republican primary for Vermont Secretary of State on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		H. Brooke Paige	96.7	40,765
		Other/Write-in votes	3.3	1,370

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 42,135
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Vermont Progressive Party primary election

Vermont Progressive Party primary for Vermont Secretary of State

Cris Ericson advanced from the Vermont Progressive Party primary for Vermont Secretary of State on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cris Ericson	57.3	406
		Other/Write-in votes	42.7	303

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 709
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Pamala Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Smith's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Pamala Smith. I have lived in Vermont almost all of my life - mostly in Franklin County, with 13 years in Burlington. I have experience in Information Technology with a Master's in Public Administration. I have taken more than 300 credit hours at UVM in varied fields including Information Technology, Management, and Health Care fields. I would say that Ethical Management is my main consideration - treading as lightly as possible with the greatest effect.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Visually confirm that your vote has been cast.
• Author and read trusted professional service provider reviews.
• Full professional regulation judgments will be anonymized and published online.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Fairness, healthy individuals and communities, citizen progress, ethics. Areas that I am passionate about that do not relate to the Office of Secretary of State (outside of Election Integrity) are Wildlife and Animal Welfare, Ecology, and Conservation.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

This office provides invaluable services in the areas of business startup and maintenance, elections (and their integrity), professional regulation and citizen safety, and the maintenance of the States archives. It is integral to the maintenance of a healthy society and its records, with huge responsibilities.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Anyone who fights for or supports justice because they are the protectors and the ones who move society forward.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

A sense of responsibility. One who often considers fairness. Modest but skilled. An open-minded personality. A generally honest and sincere person. Good work ethic. A generally ethical mindset. One who listens. One who fulfills promises and the duties of the Office.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a hard worker who is continually monitoring and assessing - in case adjustments need to be made. However, I also highly value being respectful - so I am always trying to ensure a balance between a job well done and peace of mind - if something doesn't need to be perfect, it doesn't need to be perfect.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to make the Vermont Office of Secretary of State one that is a model around the world - one that provides for a sound democracy and a healthy and progressing society filled with some of the most happy people.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Space Shuttle Challenger. 16

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Babysitting. A few summers.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Lettre Morte by Linda Le because it is a story about real pain surrounding the loss of her father, which I relate to but also because I like to read books in French - I have no reason to believe that I will ever be fluent but it is a good way to learn a few more words here and there and it is a simple French read. And French is a beautiful language which I enjoy.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Well I haven't thought about this question in a real long time but I remember that I used to (in her original heyday) want to be Wonder Woman.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

A la la la long by Bob Marley. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JhwxTen6yA

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Being a thoughtful person can often be painful.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

I consider all four aspects of this department very important. Money needs to flow and exchanges need to be made in order for people to survive. Democracy should persist, filled with integrity. Regulatory measures (and the monitoring of them) are important to ensure that service providers do not cause harm to society or individuals. And proper record keeping (both in these three aspects and the Archives) is important for those unknown times when something needs to be discovered from these records. They are all elements of the office providing valuable functions.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

I think aspects of the Office could be more well-known statewide and I think that better performance could lead to this.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

It depends on the candidates and what is needed in the Office at a given point in time.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Ethical prioritization. Information Technology knowledge. Management education. Being conscientious. Being helpful.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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