According to a new poll released Tuesday, Vermont voters are overwhelmingly in favor of keeping the practice of mailing a ballot to every voter, a policy that was put in place by state leaders on a temporary basis last year. The poll, conducted by the independent firm Lincoln Park Strategies…
This past week, VPIRG’s own Kate Lapp joined former Gov. Howard Dean, Councilor Zoraya Hightower, Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s, Rob Richie of FairVote, and Anna Kellar of the Maine League of Women Voters for a fun, informative virtual event on ranked choice voting. Catch this replay of the…
At VPIRG, we’re not generally in the business of urging people not to demonstrate or protest peacefully. These are time-honored tactics by which we make our voices heard and show the breadth of support for our campaigns. In fact, the day after the election in November we co-sponsored a State…
We were horrified by the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6. The images were shocking. Members of Congress sheltering in place, doors barricaded, and guns drawn by security personnel to keep the angry mob out. One person was shot and killed inside the Capitol during the assault and…
What an Election Week. More Vermonters, and more Americans, voted in these elections than ever before. Despite all the barriers – voter suppression, nonsensical voting laws, and the pandemic – the people have done our job to make our voices heard. And the people have chosen Joe Biden as the 46th…
As we collectively catch our breath (and breathe a sigh of relief!) following the election, we have a lot to be proud of as Vermonters. More than 365,000 Vermonters participated in the 2020 Vermont general election, blowing away the previous record by more than 40,000 votes. This record-breaking turnout is due to…
Two of the major party candidates running for Vermont’s top offices (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Treasurer) have pledged to support the person who wins the most votes in their race. Incumbent State Treasurer Beth Pearce (D) has signed the pledge, as has Democrat Molly Gray, who is running for the…
Voter turnout is notoriously low among young people. However, the dominant narrative that young folks don’t vote because we are simply apathetic is largely inaccurate. Often, the primary barriers preventing young voters from voting are structural, not personal. For example, voters age 18-34 face higher levels of voting challenges than all other…
In the closing days of the 2020 election, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) is calling on all of the candidates for Vermont’s top three offices to agree to support the person who wins the most votes in their race. Under Vermont’s Constitution, if no candidate for Governor, Lieutenant…
We’re excited to be co-presenting a panel discussion about voter rights and voter suppression on Wednesday, October 21st at 7:00 p.m., alongside Next Stage Arts Project, The Vermont League of Women Voters, Vermont ACLU, the Jonathan Daniels Center for Social Responsibility, and Disability Rights Vermont. The event will be feature panelists working in…