Elections and Government Reform

2024 Legislative Priorities

VPIRG is pursuing action on multiple fronts in the 2024 legislative session. From climate to consumer protection and toxics to democracy, we’re seeking progress that will improve the lives of Vermonters and demonstrate leadership at a time when that is sorely needed.    CLIMATE & CLEAN ENERGY  Make Big Oil Pay – Climate Change Superfund  Climate …

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Statement of VPIRG Executive Director Paul Burns on the indictment of Donald Trump in the January 6 case

Today, in what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most important criminal cases in the history of our nation, former President Donald Trump was indicted on four counts related to his efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 election: Even if this news was not surprising, it is and should be …

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2023 Legislative Recap

The 2023 Vermont legislative session has come to a close, marking the halfway point of the 2023-2024 biennium. The VPIRG team secured a number of significant legislative victories – shepherding some landmark public interest policies into law, while making important progress on other bills that will need to brought across the finish line in 2024. …

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VT Senate Gives Initial Approval of Ranked Choice Voting Legislation 

Today, the Vermont Senate voted 23-7 on Second Reading in favor of legislation to put ranked choice voting in place for Vermont’s 2028 Presidential Primary. The vote included support from Democrat, Republican, and Progressive/Democrat Senators.   The bill (S.32) would also create a summer study committee to investigate and make recommendations on other statewide elections …

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2023 Mid Session Legislative Update

We are officially halfway through the 2023 legislative session, with both legislative and money crossover dates in the rear-view mirror. Our VPIRG team has been hard at work over the past few months pushing for common sense policies, from Bottle Bill modernization to ranked choice voting, and we’ve made great progress, thanks in large part …

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VT Senate Government Operations Committee Advances Ranked Choice Voting Legislation 

On March 15th, the Senate’s Committee on Government Operations voted 6-0 in favor of legislation to put ranked choice voting in place for Vermont’s 2028 Presidential Primary. The unanimous vote included support from Democratic, Republican, and Progressive/Democrat members.   The bill (S.32) would create a summer study committee to investigate and make recommendations on other statewide …

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Ranked Choice Voting is a Popular Success in Burlington’s Town Meeting Day Election 

Two years after the city voted to adopt ranked choice voting (RCV) for city council elections, 64.4% of voters favored expanding the reform to include elections for mayor, schoolboard commissioner, and ward election officers.   Additionally, Tuesday marked the first-time voters across all wards had the opportunity to use ranked choice voting to elect their city …

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Burlington Town Meeting Day 2023: What YOU need to Know

Burlington Town Meeting Day ballots are scheduled to be mailed to all active registered voters starting this week. Here’s what VPIRG would like you to know… Whatever your positions on the issues are, we encourage you to exercise your right to vote. Our democracy depends on it! We believe voting is always important, but this year’s …

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National Voter Registration Day

Sinead here – VPIRG’s new Democracy Associate. In case you hadn’t heard, this Tuesday was National Voter Registration Day! This holiday was first observed in 2012, exactly a decade ago. A lot of things have changed in that time: attacks on voter accessibility, claims that elections have been ‘rigged’ or ‘stolen,’ and countless communities disproportionately …

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