For the past forty years, every major party nominee for president has voluntarily disclosed his or her tax returns – until the 2016 election. There is no law requiring candidates to disclose their tax returns, but every single nominee other than Donald Trump has followed this customary norm so that voters can have a clear understanding of the financial interests and possible entanglements of the men and women seeking our nation’s highest office.
The need to address presidential tax transparency has never been more clear. We can no longer count on tradition to ensure even basic transparency such as this. It is clear that there is overwhelming support for presidential tax transparency. In January of 2017, an ABC/ Washington Post poll found that 74 percent of Americans believe that presidential candidates should release their tax returns.
Bills have been introduced into both the Vermont House and Senate that would require presidential candidates to release their previous five years of tax returns in order to appear on the Vermont ballot. VPIRG supports these bills because Vermonters deserve basic transparency from our elected officials – especially those who seek our nation’s highest office.
Sign our petition telling Vermont lawmakers to require presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns before appearing on the Vermont ballot.
Latest Elections & Government Reform News
Court Dismisses Mail-In Voting Case
We applaud federal Judge Geoffrey Crawford for dismissing a lawsuit intended to derail Vermont’s plan for universal mail-in voting this year. It has been sad to see Republicans standing in the way of safe voting in Vermont at every turn this year. They voted against it in the legislature. The governor refused to sign off on ...
Read MoreConnect with the candidates on your ballot in the 2020 election
We believe that open channels of communication between Vermont citizens and their elected representatives are essential to a healthy, functioning democracy. And in a year like this one, that’s never been more critical. That’s why we’ve compiled the Vote Safe Vermont Candidate Information Toolkit. This comprehensive compilation of legislators’ websites, social media pages, ...
Read MoreConcerned about federal funding for you community?
As you probably know, the U.S. Constitution requires the government to complete a census every 10 years. The goal is to count every permanent resident, regardless of citizenship status — and, despite President Trump’s wishes, there is no citizenship question on the 2020 Census.1 Why is this so important? Because census data directly determines federal funding for ...
Read MoreWe Need Young Vermonters to Vote
Where are the youth? Our democracy works best when as many people as possible participate. Unfortunately, rates of youth voter participation have historically been significantly lower than older age groups. There are many reasons for this – lack of knowledge and time to learn about candidates, difficulties changing registration when moving frequently, not believing that voting actually makes a difference, and just ...
Read MoreWe’re One Week Away From the Vermont August Primary!
Vermont’s State Primary Election is on Tuesday, August 11. That means you have just a few days left to make sure your vote is counted! The Secretary of State is recommending Vermonters mail in their primary ballots no later than August 3rd to ensure that they arrive at the town clerks’ offices in time to be ...
Read MoreHow to Vote by Mail in the VT August Primary
Here at VPIRG we’ve been working for months to ensure that no Vermonter is forced to choose between protecting their health and exercising their right to vote this year. Thankfully, the Vermont legislature recently passed bill S.348 granting full authority to the Secretary of State to mail all registered voters a ballot for this year’s ...
Read MoreGov. Scott Allows Vote-by-Mail Bill to Pass Into Law Without Signature
On Friday, Governor Phil Scott allowed S.348 to become law without his signature. This law grants full authority to the Secretary of State to mail all registered voters a ballot for this year’s General Election in November. This law finally makes it possible for Vermont to move forward with a vote-by-mail system, which is the ...
Read MoreVT House Passes Vote-By-Mail Legislation on 115-29 Vote
The team here at VPIRG is excited to send a massive “THANK YOU” to the 115 members of the Vermont House of Representatives who took a stand today to ensure that no Vermonter has to choose between their safety and their right to vote this year. Late this afternoon, the Vermont House of Representatives gave its ...
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