Vermont Edition

Why are you voting? What Vermonters are thinking this primary election

By Mikaela Lefrak,

Published August 8, 2022 at 4:46 PM EDT

An illustration showing hands of all colors dropping a ballot into a ballot box — What's motivating you to vote in Vermont's Aug. 9 primary election? This hour, Vermont Edition is talking about why Vermonters are turning out and casting ballots.

Vermonters are heading to the polls for Tuesday's primary election, and thousand have already cast a ballot through early voting and voting by mail. This hour, we're checking in with Vermonters at the polls on primary day, and hearing from reporters, listeners and others about what issues and candidates are motivating people to go out and vote.

Our guests are:

Connor Cyrus, reporting from Montpelier
Chris Barton, the restorative systems administrator for the Vermont Department of Corrections
Howard Weiss-Tisman, reporting from Southern Vermont
Mia Costa, assistant professor of government at Dartmouth College researching political behavior, identity and psychology in American politics
Chris Barton, the restorative systems administrator for the Vermont Department of Corrections

Broadcast live at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022.

Editor's note: Sen. Patrick Leahy's home was misidentified in the live hour. He lives in Middlesex, in Washington County.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or tweet us @vermontedition.

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Mikaela Lefrak

Mikaela Lefrak joined Vermont Public in 2021 as co-host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.

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Connor Cyrus

Connor Cyrus joined Vermont Public as host and senior producer in March 2021. He was a morning reporter at WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island. A graduate of Lyndon State College (now Northern Vermont University), he started his reporting career as an intern at WPTZ, later working for WAGM in Presque Isle, Maine, and WCAX Channel 3, where he covered a broad range of stories from Vermont’s dairy industry to the nurses’ strikes at UVM Medical Center. He’s passionate about journalism’s ability to shed light on complex or difficult topics, as well as giving voice to underrepresented communities.

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Matthew F Smith

Originally from Delaware, Matt moved to Alaska in 2010 for his first job in radio. He spent five years working as a radio and television reporter, radio producer, talk show host, and news director. His reporting received awards from the Alaska Press Club and the Alaska Broadcasters Association. Relocating to southwest Florida, he was a producer for television news and NPR member station WGCU for their daily radio show, Gulf Coast Live. He joined Vermont Public in October 2017 as producer of Vermont Edition.

See stories by Matthew F Smith