by Guy Page
The Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Vermont GOP (VTGOP) yesterday filed suit against the cities of Montpelier and Winooski over charters changes that allow non-citizens to vote in municipal elections. As approved by the Democrat-controlled Vermont Legislature, these changes allow foreign citizens to decide American elections.
Ferry V. Montpelier was filed yesterday in Vermont Superior Court. Plaintiffs include Montpelier residents Charles Ferry and Maurice Martineau. State party officials Deb Billado and Jay Shepard are among the 10 other plaintiffs. Weston V. Winooski was filed in Chittenden Superior Court. Douglas Weston of Winooski is the lead plaintiff, and is joined by 11 others, including Ferry, Martineau, Billado and Shepard.
An RNC statement called the approved charter changes “a blatant attack on election integrity” that violates the state constitution which requires Vermont voters to be U.S. citizens.
“Democrats are trying to dismantle the integrity of our elections. In addition to attacking widely supported safeguards like voter ID, Democrats also want foreign citizens to vote in American elections,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said. “Republicans are fighting back on this far-left assault against election integrity — unlike radical Democrats, we believe that our elections should be decided solely by American citizens. This is a matter of principle and we will fight in all 50 states to ensure this remains the case.”
The RNC is joined in the suit by the Vermont Republican Party and several concerned Vermont voters. The suit also raises important concerns about how the laws will be implemented and whether non-citizens will end up on the same voter registration lists used for state-level and federal elections.
In late June this year, the Vermont legislature overrode vetoes by Republican Gov. Phil Scott, greenlighting voter-approved changes to the city charters of Montpelier and Winooski. Those cities now allow all residents over age 18 to vote in city elections, regardless of citizenship status. Noncitizen voting in federal elections remains illegal nationwide.
Click here to read more about today’s suit from FOX News.