No Vermonter, particularly in the midst of an ongoing spike in COVID-19, should have to worry that their heat, electricity or water could be disconnected this winter because they are unable to make bill payments due to the pandemic. That’s why we have joined Vermont Legal Aid and half a dozen other Vermont groups in …
PUC: Reinstate Moratorium on Utility Disconnections Read More »
On Friday, Nov. 20, 2020 we learned that the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) has chosen not to move forward with issuing after-the-fact permits to Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) for several instances of illegal dumping of glass. This decision comes on the heels of a wave of public input to officials at ANR, urging …
ANR halts retroactive permitting process for CSWD illegal glass case Read More »
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 President of the United States. …
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 a variety of factors – …
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 open seat for lieutenant governor. …
Gray, Pearce Commit to Supporting Popular Vote Winners Read More »
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 age groups with barriers such …
Lower Barriers to Voting Means Higher Youth Voter Participation Read More »
In April 2018, Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) sent Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) a Notice of Alleged Violation for dumping glass that Vermont residents and haulers had paid them to recycle. Records indicate that in 2017, huge quantities of glass that citizens put into bins and paid to be recycled were instead dumped in three different locations in Williston by Chittenden …
ANR to let CSWD off the hook for illegal glass dumping Read More »
Late last month, the Vermont Senate cleared the final hurdle to ensuring the Global Warming Solutions Act becomes law with the upper chamber’s 22-8 override of Gov. Phil Scott’s veto. I am thrilled to see the act pass, with both chambers of the General Assembly upholding overwhelming majorities in favor (the House vote was 103-47). …
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 Governor or Treasurer wins a …
VPIRG calls on candidates to respect the results of the election Read More »
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 the field of voter rights …
Join us for a forum on voter rights and voter suppression Read More »
