by the Ethan Allen Institute
H361, the Brattleboro charter change allowing 16 and 17 yer old voting and office holding, was approved by the State House of Representatives March 11 by a vote of 102-47.
Purpose: Governor Scott vetoed this bill which originally passed in 2021. This would override his veto, allowing children 15-17 years old to vote in local elections and on local issues, and to hold elective office.
Analysis: H.361 changes the Brattleboro charter to allow 16-17 years olds (and 15 years olds if they will turn 16 by election day) to vote in municipal elections and serve on town boards, such as the select board.
Those voting YES believe this will help get young people more involved in the political process and establish the habit of voting.
Those voting NO believe that children who are not legal adults are not ready to make fully informed decisions relating to voting or mature enough to hold positions of authority and responsibility over critical municipal decisions.
As Recorded in the House Journal, Friday, March 11, 2021: “Shall the bill pass the failure of the Governor to sign not withstanding?” (Read the Journal, TBD).
These roll call reports are designed to help citizens understand how their elected representatives vote on key issues. The bills may or may not eventually become law. Click on the link to the bill page at the top of this post for an up to date status on the bill.
How They Voted
(Click on your Rep’s name to send an email)
| Sally Achey (R – Middletown Springs) – NO Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – YES Peter Anthony (D – Barre) – YES Norman Arrison (D – Weathersfield) – YES Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – YES John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – YES Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – YES Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – YES Alyssa Black (D – Essex) – YES Tiffany Bluemle (D – Burlington) – YES Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – YES Seth Bongartz (D – Manchester) – YES Michelle Bos-Lun (D – Westminster) – YES Erin Brady (D – Williston) – YES Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – NO Timothy Briglin (D – Thetford) – YES Jana Brown (D – Richmond) – YES Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – YES Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – YES Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – NO Mollie Burke (P/D – Brattleboro) – YES Elizabeth Burrows (P/D – West Windsor) – YES Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – YES Bill Canfield (R – Fair Haven) – NO Seth Chase (D – Colchester) – YES Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – YES Brian Cina (P/D – Burlington) – YES Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – YES Selene Colburn (P/D – Burlington) – YES Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – YES Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – YES Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D – Bradford) – YES Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – YES Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – YES Lawrence Cupoli (R – Rutland) – NO Lynn Dickinson (R – St. Albans) – NO Karen Dolan (D – Essex) – YES Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – YES Kate Donnally (D – Hyde Park) – YES Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – NO David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – YES Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – YES Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – YES Peter Fagan (R – Rutland) – NO Martha Feltus (R – Lyndon) – YES John Gannon (D – Wilmington) – YES Rey Garofano (D – Essex) – YES Leslie Goldman (D – Bellows Falls) – YES Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – NO Maxine Grad (D – Moretown) – YES Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – NO James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) – NO Lisa Hango (R – Birkshire) – NO James Harrison (R – Chittenden) – NO Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – NO Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – NO Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – YES Mary Hooper (D – Montpelier) – YES Philip Hooper (D – Randolph) – YES Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – YES Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – YES Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – YES Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – YES Kimberly Jessup (D – Middlesex) – YES John Kascenska (R – Burke) – NO John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – YES Charles Kimbell (D – Woodstock) – YES Warren Kitzmiller (D – Montpelier) – YES Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – YES Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – PRESIDING Larry Labor (R- Morgan) – NO Robert LaClair (R – Barre) – NO Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) – YES Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – YES Wayne Laroche of Franklin – NO Paul Lefebvre (R – Newark) – YES Samantha Lefebvre (R – Orange) – NO Felisha Leffler (R – Enosburgh) – NO | William Lippert (D – Hinesburg) – YES Emily Long (D – Newfane) – YES Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – NO Marcia Martel (R – Waterford) – NO James Masland (D – Thetford) – YES Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – NO Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans) – YESCurtis McCormack (D – Burlington) – YES Patricia McCoy (R – Poultney) – NO James McCullough (D – Williston) – YES Francis McFaun (R – Barre) – NO Leland Morgan (R – Milton) – NO Michael Morgan (R – Milton) – NO Kristi Morris (D – Springfield) – YES Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – NO Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – YES Emma Mulvaney-Stanak (D – Burlington) – YES Barbara Murphy (I – Fairfax) – YES Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – YES Michael Nigro (D – Bennington) –YES Robert Norris (R – Sheldon) – NO Terry Norris (I – Shoreham) – NO William Notte (D – Rutland) – YES Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – YES John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – YES Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – YES “Woody” Page (R – Newport) – NO Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – YES John Palasik (R – Milton) – ABSENT Joseph Parsons (R – Newbury) – NO Carolyn Partridge (D – Windham) – YES Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – YES Henry Pearl (D – Danville) –YES Arthur Peterson (R – Clarendon) – NO Ann Pugh (D – S. Burlington) – YES Barbara Rachelson (D/P – Burlington) – YES Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – YES Carl Rosenquist (R – Georgia) – NO Larry Satcowitz (D – Randolph) – YES Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – YES Heidi Scheuermann (R – Stowe) – NO Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – NO Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – YES Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – YES Katherine Sims (D – Craftsbury) – YES Taylor Small (P/D – Winooski) – YES Brian Smith (R – Derby) – NO Harvey Smith (R – New Haven) – NO Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – YES Gabrielle Stebbins (D – Burlington) – YES Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – YES Vicki Strong (R – Albany) – NO Linda Joy Sullivan (D – Dorset) – YES Heather Suprenant (D – Barnard) – YES Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – YES Thomas Terenzini (R – Rutland) – NO George Till (D – Jericho) – YES Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – YES Casey Toof (R – St. Albans) – NO Maida Townsend (D – South) – YES Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – YES Tanya Vyhovsky (P/D – Essex) – YES Matt Walker (R – Swanton – NO) Tommy Walz (D – Barre) – YESKathryn Webb (D – Shelburne) – YES Kirk White (P/D – Bethel) – YES Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – YES Dane Whitman (D – Bennington) – YES Terri Lynn Williams (R – Granby) – NO Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – YES David Yacovone (D – Morristown) – YES Michael Yantachka (D – Charlotte) – YES |
Categories: Legislation
Looks all the Dem’s want to believe children can vote, but they can’t drink, smoke, or join the military or so many more things ‘ADULTS’ can do. WOW!
One thing the Dems do believe is that the 16 year old cannot be held legally responsible till they are 22 as they are not mature enough to be held accountable for adult actions . ( forget about drinking military etc.) Seems pretty reasonable to me
Of course, children should have complete political control over their parents.
The Democrats also want children aborted up to and post-birth, jabbed with numerous experimental unknown serums, as well as masked and tested so the children are perpetually fearful, deficient, and suicidal. Seems counter-intuitive for them to court a generation they would rather see dead.
Another example of single party government!
“ Those voting YES believe this will help get young people more involved in the political process and establish the habit of voting.”
More young people could be involved if they weren’t aborted first.
I realize that this is “just Brattleboro”, but should a sixteen year old have the right to vote, and cancel out the vote of an adult taxpayer ? It doesn’t matter which side of an issue that these kids are on, that will be the result of each of these kids that will be allowed to vote. I’m not going to get too into a sixteen year old’s questionable cognitive ability to understand the real world consequences of casting a ballot based on uninformed, or worse yet intentional misinformation. I’m getting pretty old, but I can still remember being sixteen, and some of the really stupid, and dangerous things I did, and how I worried my poor mother. It’s a wonder I lived to be as old as I have. I can see it now, my mother, and father being told that their sixteen year old son, who did all of those incredibly stupid, darest I say “juvenile” things is now “adult” enough to vote ? Are these kids now “adult” enough to serve in the military, drink alcohol, smoke pot, or tobacco ? When they commit “adult crimes are they now “adult” enough to suffer “adult” consequences ? Kids should be allowed to be kids for as long as they can be. Adults with political agendas should not be allowed to sow their seed, so they can harvest the votes of children.
With legislative democrats being largely a group of emotional children this isn’t surprising.