Noncitizens Can Vote in Local Elections in 2 Vermont Cities After Legislature Overturns Governor’s Vetoes
Noncitizen legal residents will be able to vote in two cities in Vermont after the state Senate narrowly overrode Gov. Phil Scott’s vetoes of two bills earlier this month. The Republican governor earlier this month vetoed two bills, H.177 and H.227, which are charter changes to allow noncitizen residents in Montpelier and Winooski to vote in local […]
Noncitizen legal residents will be able to vote in two cities in Vermont after the state Senate narrowly overrode Gov. Phil Scott's vetoes of two bills earlier this month. The Republican governor earlier this month vetoed two bills, H.177 and H.227, which are charter changes to allow noncitizen residents in Montpelier and Winooski to vote in local elections. He cited concerns that the measures would "create inconsistency in election policy" in municipalities across Vermont, and inadvertently create "separate and unequal classes of residents potentially eligible to vote on local issues." In his veto letters dated June 1, Scott asked the state legislature to "revisit the issue of noncitizen voting in a more comprehensive manner," by creating a policy that could apply to the entire state, or by creating "a uniform template and process" for locales that want to give noncitizen legal residents the right to vote in local elections. The Vermont legislature voted largely ...
