voting

Tom Little, Special Master of the Vermont Apportionment Board, explains why Legislative Redistricting is important and how the public can influence the distribution of House and Senate candidates and districts across Vermont.

With the delay of the 2020 U.S. Census data, the Apportionment Board must work fast to develop legislative district maps for local leaders to respond to and submit final recommendations to the Legislature for approval in early 2022.

The public is asked to weigh in on key questions:

- What is more important: making sure the populations in each district are as close to equal as possible, or allowing larger (within constitutional guidelines) differences in populations to maintain district lines closer to the status quo?

- Should your legislative district lines conform to town and/ or county boundary lines?

- Do you prefer single member house districts (one representative per a House district of around 4,300) or two member districts (two representatives in a single house district of around 8,600 people)?

- Do you prefer single member senate districts (one senator per senate district of around 21,500 people), or multi-member senate districts (two or three senators in a single district of around 43,000 or 64,500 people)?

Let the Legislative Apportionment Board know your views on these questions and on other factors you wish them to consider as they draw up proposed legislative district lines by emailing Board members at their addresses posted on the Board’s website (sos.vermont.gov/apportionment-board/contact-the-board), participating in monthly online meetings (sos.vermont.gov/apportionment-board), or mailing a letter c/o the Secretary of State’s office (Legislative Apportionment Board, 128 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05633-1101).

This is a critical exercise in our representative democracy. It happens only every 10 years – don’t miss out on it!

Rep. Peter Welch (VT-AL) and Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20) host a virtual town hall event to discuss the fight to protect voting rights, the rise of voter suppression legislation across the country, and what people can do to help the effort to combat these laws.

Since January 2021, state legislators in 48 states have introduced over 390 proposed laws to make it harder to vote. To date, 28 of these bills have been signed into law in 17 states. These voter suppression measures include, restricting early voting and mail in balloting, limiting or eliminating ballot drop box sites, closing precincts in communities of color, politicizing the election certification process, and prohibiting poll workers and volunteers from providing people waiting in line to vote food or water.

Reps. Welch and Castro have made the protection of voting rights a top priority in Congress.

“These voter suppression laws are deliberate attempts by Republican leaders across the country to strip Americans of their right to vote and consolidate power with corporations and special interests,” Welch said. “Donald Trump and Republican leaders have been peddling the Big Lie to justify suppressing the vote for their benefit in the next election at the expense of the people and democracy. The right to vote is the bedrock of American democracy. No matter what party you belong to or who you vote for, your voice matters. You have a fundamental right as an American to cast your ballot. This is a fight that requires all of us to stand up and stop this attack on the right to vote and our democracy.”

Rep. Joaquin Castro represents Texas’ 20th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Castro has been a long-time champion of voting rights for the people of Texas. Texas has some of the most restrictive voting laws in the country. Rep. Castro is currently supporting Democratic members of the Texas legislature, who left the state to prevent the passage of an extreme voter suppression bill that would impose criminal penalties for poll workers, ban drive through voting, and more.

"We're in a now or never moment for American democracy, particularly in my home state of Texas," said Congressman Castro of San Antonio. "Texans' right to vote is under assault, and the United States Senate must take action by passing the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. I appreciate my colleague Congressman Peter Welch for taking a stand and supporting federal action to protect voting rights."

Aidan informs Michael about Town Meeting Day.

Music Used:

Moonlight Sonata - Beethoven

Music from https://filmmusic.io
"Bossa Antigua" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
 

A part of the Roz Payne Memorial Race & Racism Series.

Leaders of the Discussion:

Sandy Baird, Esq., lawyer and former Burlington College instructor