Press release from the Speaker’s office:
The Vermont House of Representatives today passed S. 117, An Act Relating to the Date of the Primary Election. The bill moves the primary election up from the second Tuesday in September to the fourth Tuesday in August.
The bill allows Vermont to come into compliance with Federal law which mandates the ballots to be mailed to overseas voters-including deployed members of the Vermont National Guard-at least 45 days before an election. Under current law, Vermont’s primary election results would not be certified in time to meet that requirement prior to the general election
“This bill is about giving our troops who are fighting for democracy the opportunity to participate in democracy,” said Speaker Shap Smith. “Our troops overseas deserve to have the same opportunity to vote that we have here at home.”
“Not only does moving the primary support our troops, it allows us to comply with Federal law,” said Rep. Donna Sweaney, Chair of the House Committee on Government Operations.
S. 117 was passed by the Senate last year, 21-7. The House approved the bill today, 139-6. It will be read for final passage on Thursday.
If Douglas vetos a bill that passed the House with 139 votes it will prove once and foreall who is POLITICAL! If he does not veto it, it will also prove who talks out of both sides of his mouth.
If a veto comes, the question then becomes which one of the candidates is capable of seizing the political hey of the moment?
Time and time again we’ve seen Douglas (and now, by extension, candidate Dubie) expose himself/themselves to the easiest of political harassment; yet what we’ve never seen is an opposition- especially in an election year- willing or able to pounce. Which one of these candidates can do so? As this issue is framed (complying with Federal law to allow military personnel at war the opportunity to vote) should be an easy one.
SHOULD BE being the operative point.
Great work bringing Republicans on board for this proposal, I’m surprised it receive the support it did after the initial pushback when the federal law was passed. Douglas vetoing this bill would look ugly.
I am not sure folks realize that an amendment was added in the House that puts candidates of major political parties (all three…mine included) at an advantage over would be independents. Here’s the deal.
Current law allows for candidates to be added to the general election ballot one of three ways.
1) win a major party primary election, or
2) have name placed on general election ballot (within three days of the primary election) by major party committee meeting, if the major party does not have a candidate from the primary, or
3) any individual can add their name as an Independent up through that same deadline (three days after the primary).
The amendment that passed requires all Independents to file at the same time as primary election filers.
The goal was to stop primary losers from filing in the general as an I. That occurs about .5-1% of the time. But it also means that 40% of the electorate (who are not self identified as part of the D, R, or P parties) who might find a candidate from those parties acceptable, and who otherwise would not run, are now excluded from running if the candidate running in one of the major party primaries loses. For instance…if the most lefty D wins their primary and the most rightwing R wins their primary (and you can describe the P however you want), and the I person felt that now…out of the winners of the primaries, there is no one that they think would represent the district well…too bad. Can’t enter now.
One possible consequence is that actually more people will run as I’s from the get go, creating more three way races, than would otherwise have occured.
Ultimately…it is not my party line need to have this turned back, but my feeling about Democracy. I do not think that those of us in major parties should have the advantage of being able to be added to the general election ballot after the primary while those that are not part of a major party can not.