Election Day is finally here.
Polls open at different times across Vermont this morning, and they'll remain open until 7 p.m.
Voters are being asked to weigh in on legislative, statewide, and federal races — that is, if they haven't already voted absentee. State election officials expect roughly half of this year's ballots to be mailed in.
Get live updates on Vermont Public's 2024 Election Day liveblog.
Vermont Public's senior political correspondent Bob Kinzel recently sat down with host Jenn Jarecki to answer some last-minute questions about the election and how it works. This interview was produced for the ear. We highly recommend listening to the audio. We’ve also provided a transcript, which has been edited for length and clarity.
Jenn Jarecki: OK, Bob, so first of all, Vermont allows same-day voter registration, right? How exactly does that work?
Bob Kinzel: Vermont is actually one of 21 states that allows voter registration on Election Day itself. It's a pretty simple procedure. A person who wants to register and then vote today needs to have a document that verifies their current address. This could be their driver's license, perhaps a utility bill, or maybe another piece of mail that confirms their address and that the person is in the right place to vote. That's it. When they complete this process, they're added to the checklist.
Jenn Jarecki: Now all voters receive ballots in the mail this year. That's after absentee voting was permanently expanded during the pandemic. But Bob, what happens if a voter didn't mail their ballot back by now? I mean, like, what should they do with that actual physical ballot?
Bob Kinzel: Jenn, in these cases, voters are strongly encouraged to bring their ballots with them when they come in to vote. They can still fill them out at home or when they come in, it's really up to them. But town clerks tell me that the process is really much, much easier when these voters bring the ballots in with them today.
Jenn Jarecki: OK, Bob, what should Vermonters do if the dog ate their ballot, or, let's say they can't otherwise find that absentee ballot?
Bob Kinzel: Jenn, this is bound to happen. Ballots do get misplaced. There is a relatively simple process in place to deal with this situation. First, the voter comes in and notifies local election officials, "Hey, I've lost my ballot." The voter will then be asked to sign an affidavit affirming they've lost their ballot. Once that happens, the voter will be given a new ballot to use, and they're all set. Now, sometimes there are instances where a voter forgets that they did send their ballot in, and then they come in and try to vote. This does happen, town clerks have told me that. Now, when they originally mailed in their ballot, that information was recorded on the local checklist, and these ballots are kept in alphabetical order so a town clerk can actually retrieve the ballot and show the voter "Hey, you've already cast your ballot." And this is a safeguard that's used to ensure that someone doesn't vote twice.
Jenn Jarecki: Switching gears to the stuff actually on the ballot. I'm so curious, Bob, what are some of the Vermont issues you're going to be watching as results start to come in tonight?
Bob Kinzel: Jenn, right at the top of my list is the makeup of the new Legislature, and will the Democrats be able to maintain their supermajorities in both the Vermont House and Senate? And tied to this outcome is, will incumbent Democratic candidates in both chambers be blamed for the huge increase in property taxes this year. Is this the year that affordability issues come to the forefront at the local level, or will voters see these concerns as more of a statewide issue? You know, I'm kind of reminded of nationwide polls about Congress. Congress has a terrible approval rating among most voters, it's down around 20% or 25%, but most voters feel very good about their own member of Congress. So, will that same dynamic be at play for legislative candidates in this election? It's definitely something to watch tonight.
Jenn Jarecki: Republican Gov. Phil Scott has taken a different tack this year compared to prior elections. Can you describe his role, Bob, in some of these legislative races?
Bob Kinzel: He's been much more active than in previous years. He's been going out and supporting candidates who support his affordability concerns. And you know, the only TV ad that I've seen for him this election season features the governor urging voters to support more moderate legislative candidates, saying he can't do the job alone at the Statehouse. So we'll see if this message resonates with voters or not.
Jenn Jarecki: What about the race for lieutenant governor? Republican John Rodgers, a former Democratic state lawmaker, is challenging incumbent Progressive/Democrat David Zuckerman, and the race has sort of taken on more symbolic importance than the position of lieutenant governor usually attracts, right, Bob?
Bob Kinzel: Absolutely, Jenn. And this is really a fascinating race. On one hand, as you mentioned, you have John Rodgers running as a Republican after being a Democrat for his entire legislative career in the House and the Senate. And he argues, "Hey, I didn't leave the Democratic Party. It left me," because it supported so many progressive issues in recent years. Gov. Scott has endorsed Rogers. Will Scott have any coattails? And then there's the question if moderate Democrats will support Rodgers. Last week, former Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin did. Is that a sign that other Democrats will back Rodgers as well? We just don't know. Now, on the other hand is incumbent Progressive/Democrat David Zuckerman, who has been a lead spokesperson for alternative energy issues, health care reform, higher taxes on the wealthy, child care and paid family leave. And former Democratic Gov. Madeleine Kunin has endorsed him. Now, voters in the past have reelected him as lieutenant governor by comfortable margins, so this is a race to watch closely tonight.
Jenn Jarecki: I know it's a busy day for you, Bob, I've just got one more question for you, and it's about something near and dear to your heart. You've been tracking what you call the mirror towns for more than a decade. Can you tell us more about what this project is all about?
Bob Kinzel: You know, back in the fall of 2010 I was curious. Were there any towns in Vermont that always did two things: One, they always match the statewide winning results when it came to the races for governor and lieutenant governor. And two, they also came very close to the actual margin of victory. It was a fascinating research project. It was essentially a process of elimination. For instance, if a town voted for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sue Minter in 2016, then that town was eliminated, because that was an election won by Republican Phil Scott, so the town results didn't mirror the statewide results. After researching voting data for the past 40 years, I found five towns that always, always, always mirror the statewide results and are very close on the margin of victory. You probably want to know what those five towns are.
Jenn Jarecki: You bet I do.
Bob Kinzel: Those towns are Bethel, Bristol, Cambridge, Jericho and Randolph. Now the only exception is when a candidate comes from one of these communities or a neighboring town because that understandably affects things. So tonight, I'll be paying very close attention to these mirror towns for the lieutenant governor's race to see if the results give us any insight into how that contest might unfold.
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