Vermonters headed to the polls Tuesday to cast their primary ballots, which will decide the candidates for statewide and legislative offices under the state's three major political parties.
It's been a sleepier primary compared to years past — but that doesn't mean voters don't have big decisions on their minds.
Bright and early Tuesday morning, election volunteer Leigh Steele welcomed some of them at Fletcher Free Library in Burlington.
Steele has volunteered at elections for three years. She said it's a way to give back to her city, and it feels rewarding to help neighbors cast a ballot.
She said climate change is a big concern for her. But locally, Steele's concerned about other issues, too.
"We have huge, huge issues in Burlington right now around homelessness and community safety are huge problems,” she said. “Housing."
One of Vermont's highest-profile legislative races took place in Chittenden County. That's where broadcaster Stewart Ledbetter sought one of the Democratic Senate nominations against President Pro Tem Phil Baruth, Tanya Vyhovsky and Martine Gulick.
Jim Reed, who lives in Essex, said he usually votes Republican and plans to in the presidential election. But he said he turned out Tuesday to vote in the Democratic primary because he strongly supports Ledbetter.
"The world is coming to an end,” Reed said. “I started noticing it with this damn pandemic. World's coming to an end. And I don't know if you want to hear any more, but I just don't think that we're on a good track at all."
Reed said that, as a senior citizen, he's concerned about the cost of living in Vermont. He said just meeting basic needs is exorbitantly expensive right now.
We asked, you answered: What issues should the candidates discuss in the lead-up to the election?
In Fletcher, town officials said that about 10% of their voter checklist had cast a ballot a couple of hours before polls closed Tuesday.
Among them was 54-year-old Jinny Janesik.
She said when voting, it’s important for people to keep in mind not only what’s important to them, but what impacts their friends, family and neighbors, too.
"Don’t vote in such a way that your best friend will lose funding for the special needs child that they have or so the two little girls next door have fewer rights than their mother or grandmother did," she said.
Janesik said people should vote their convictions.
"Don’t vote in such a way that your best friend will lose funding for the special needs child that they have or so the two little girls next door have fewer rights than their mother or grandmother did."Jinny Janesik, Fletcher resident
For Janesik's daughter, Jasmine Duncan, Tuesday wasn’t just another election.
It was the 19-year-old’s first time voting.
And she said she was glad she went with her mom — because she didn’t know beforehand she wasn’t supposed to fill out all three ballots for each political party.
"I feel like in school they should definitely show you what a ballot looks like," she said. "Like, 'Hey, this is how you fill out a ballot, this is how you vote for who you want to vote for.'"
Duncan said issues important to her include funding education and civil rights.
Winooski resident Mike Brown spoke with candidates campaigning outside the Winooski Senior Center before he went inside to cast his ballot.
The 39-year-old, who works at a small software company, said he planned to vote in the Democratic primary but was still making a few last-minute choices.
“I’m just trying to pick between like, who needs to get fired, and who needs to get a shot at representing the Democrats in Vermont and in Winooski,” he said.
In Essex, voter Erik Post was eager to hear candidates talk about the cost of living in Vermont.
He said he never misses an election, and is a little nervous about how many longtime state senators won't be returning to the Statehouse this session.
"I think it's important, there was so much turnover, especially in the Senate, that we have some consistency in Montpelier,” he said. “But overarching, for me, it's just a question of affordability in Vermont, you know? And planning for the future, especially with climate change."
"I think it's important, there was so much turnover, especially in the Senate, that we have some consistency in Montpelier. But overarching, for me, it's just a question of affordability in Vermont, you know? And planning for the future, especially with climate change."Erik Post, Essex resident
Post says property taxes should also be a focus for candidates this year, along with the cost of everyday goods.
Rob Cotter would agree. He headed to the polls in Brattleboro on Tuesday with a simple plan of action reflecting the building tension between voters and lawmakers on issues of affordability after this year's legislative session: Vote out all the incumbents — including his state Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, a Democrat and the chair of the Vermont House's tax-writing committee. (Kornheiser later won the primary, according to the Associated Press.)
Cotter, an optometrist, said he's tired of taxes going up alongside the cost of living.
“Vermont has gotten more of a reputation as less business friendly also. The theory is we'll just tax the rich. And there's not that many rich around anymore,” he said.
There is one incumbent that Cotter said he's eager to help send back to Montpelier: Republican Gov. Phil Scott.
Meanwhile, Aubrey Clinedinst of Brattleboro said she’s happy with Kornheiser, who faced a spirited primary challenge from Amanda Ellis-Thurber, a local farmer who positioned herself to the right of the incumbent.
But Clinedist said that she’s not worried about rising taxes.
“I fall into — me and my husband — a higher tax bracket, and I honestly do believe that taxes are absolutely necessary. They paid for things we need,” she said. “I’m someone who believes when someone gets last minute information that necessitates a change.”
Andy Blanchet, in Winooski, said they showed up Tuesday to vote for local candidates in the races for Vermont House and Senate.
Blanchet, 30, is president of their union and said it was important that they support pro-worker candidates.
“For me, voting for pro-labor, you know, pro-working class people was really important, so really doing that research ... actually seeing what people’s voting records were for renters or people who need to pay back student loans, things like that. Family leave has been really important,” Blanchet said.
In St. Johnsbury, voters cast their ballots at a bustling train-station-turned-welcome-center.
"It’s important for these littler elections in little towns to still go out and vote."Kit McGill Simpson, St. Johnsbury resident
For Kit McGill Simpson, voting on local matters is how Vermonters can make the biggest impact.
“Locally, it feels like you have, you know, a little bit more control than big, huge picture, nationwide. It’s important for these littler elections in little towns to still go out and vote," McGill Simpson said.
The local ballot was also important to McGill Simpson in light of recent flooding in St. Johnsbury, which has worsened the housing crisis there.
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