BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – As Town Meeting Day kicks off, Vermonter across the state will be headed to the polls.
Those who filled out an absentee ballot, it’s too late to put it in the mail. They can bring it to their polling location, or drop it in a community drop box located at the town or city clerk’s office. For those who never received the ballot that they requested, they can request a new one from the town clerk.
For all voting details per town including the location and hours, ask the town clerk or check the Secretary of State’s voter website for a comprehensive list.
After the summer’s catastrophic flooding, some towns have opted to delay their town meeting day. They will hold their meetings on May 14th, which includes Barre City and Barre Town. To make sure your town is holding an election today, check with the town clerk’s office.
Below is a list of some of the state’s most pressing issues.
Mayoral races:
Queen City voters will choose their next mayor on Tuesday. Chances are it will likely be Burlington’s first woman mayor.
Burlington’s two front-running candidates include Democrat Joan Shannon and Progressive Emma Mulvaney-Stanak. Independents Chris Haessly and Will Emmons are also running.
Conversations in Burlington for this race include ongoing safety concerns such as gun violence, theft, the housing crisis, and ways to tackle the drug crisis.
Despite it being a presidential primary voting year, Secretary of State Sarah Copeland-Hanzas says local elections like this are what voters feel impact their day-to-day life the most.
“These local races are going to have a much more direct impact on you, on your property tax rate, on who is running your local municipality. And so getting out and voting in those mayoral races – those city council races, those select board races – can have a greater impact on your own budget and under the services that your municipality offers, and on the way we fund our schools for our communities and children. I definitely think people should actually get out and vote in local elections,” said Copeland-Hanzas.
Montpelier will also be picking their new mayor today.
Related stories:
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Burlington City Council puts property tax hike on Town Meeting Day ballot
School budgets:
Schools are seeing a relatively high budget increase this year due to a combination of pupil spending increases and a statewide increased cost of living.
WCAX reached out to all 56 superintendents to ask about their school budget votes. At least 95 school budgets are going on as scheduled, whether that’s Tuesday or another previously scheduled day.
Recent legislation allows budget votes to be pushed back to re-work the numbers, and we know of at least 11 budget votes that are postponed.
“Some school budgets are voted on town meeting day, others are not. And in particular this year, many communities have taken advantage of H.850, which allows school districts to recalculate their budget and warn that for later in the spring. And so voters, if they are unsure, should definitely check in with either their select board or city council or their school board – or you can also contact someone at the town or city clerk’s office – because they know what elections are being conducted on Tuesday and they can advise voters on which ballots they will receive,” said Secretary of State Sarah Copleand-Hanzas.
Some school districts postponing their votes include First Branch Unified School District, Strafford School District, and the Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union.
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Post Office issues:
Central Vermont’s post office woes have made it to the ballot in Montpelier as residents in the region continue to battle postal problems.
After this summer’s flooding washed out Montpelier’s downtown post office, residents of the capital city have had to take their mail on the move, relying on USPS locations in east Montpelier and Barre.
But while the future of Montpelier’s post office is mulled on the federal level, the town of Berlin also feels the impact of not having that location. Now, they are putting a post office of their own on the ballot.
Related stories:
Community rallies to demand Montpelier post office be restored
USPS in negotiations to open Montpelier location
Vt. congressional delegation slams USPS over Montpelier post office delays
Montpelier PO box holders will have to pick up mail in Barre
Montpelier postal workers get gift of heat at temporary site
Reopening of Montpelier post office remains uncertain
Flooding leaves 6 post offices out of commission
Proposed fluoride ban in Rutland:
Residents in Rutland yet again weigh the future of fluoride in their water. A new petition has it back on the ballot eight years after a similar question failed.
Opponents are calling to ban the use of fluoride in the town’s water.
According to the Vermont Department of Health, fluoride has been shown to prevent dental decay, and the levels in water are not known to cause any negative health impacts.
Fluoride opponents say the proposed ban is about letting residents make their own decisions about what’s in the water.
Related stories:
Rutland voters to weigh in on fluoridation, again