Editor’s note: This article has been updated and corrected to note that Rep. Ann Donahue, R-Northfield, voted no, and Rep. Kate Donnally, D-Hyde Park, voted yes.
H.361, an act relating to approval of amendments to the charter of the town of Brattleboro, passed in the State House of Representatives on April 29, 2021, by a vote of 102-41.
The purpose of the bill is to allow children 15-17 years old to vote in local elections and on local issues, and to hold elective office.
Analysis: H.361 changes to the Brattleboro charter to allow 16-17 years olds (and 15 years olds if they will turn 16 by election day) to vote in municipal elections and serve on town boards, such as the select board.
Those voting YES believe this will help get young people more involved in the political process and establish the habit of voting.
Those voting NO believe that children who are not legal adults are not ready to make fully informed decisions relating to voting or mature enough to hold positions of authority and responsibility over critical municipal decisions.
As recorded in the House Journal, Thursday, April 29, 2021: “Shall the bill be read a third time?, was decided in the affirmative. Yeas, 102. Nays, 42” (Read the Journal, p. 748-752).
Watch the floor debate on YouTube.
These roll call reports are designed to help citizens understand how their elected representatives vote on key issues. The bills may or may not eventually become law. Click on the link to the bill page at the top of this post for an up to date status on the bill.
How They Voted
Sally Achey (R – Middletown Springs) – NO
Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – YES
Peter Anthony (D – Barre) – YES
Norman Arrison (D – Weathersfield) – ABSENT
Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – YES
John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – YES
Lynn Batchelor (R – Derby) – NO
Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – YES
Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – YES
Alyssa Black (D – Essex) – YES
Tiffany Bluemle (D – Burlington) – YES
Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – YES
Seth Bongartz (D – Manchester) – YES
Michelle Bos-Lun (D – Westminster) – YES
Erin Brady (D – Williston) – YES
Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – NO
Timothy Briglin (D – Thetford) – YES
Jana Brown (D – Richmond) – YES
Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – YES
Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – YES
Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – NO
Mollie Burke (P/D – Brattleboro) – YES
Elizabeth Burrows (P/D – West Windsor) – YES
Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – YES
Bill Canfield (R – Fair Haven) – NO
Seth Chase (D – Colchester) – YES
Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – YES
Brian Cina (P/D – Burlington) – YES
Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – YES
Selene Colburn (P/D – Burlington) – YES
Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – YES
Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – YES
Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D – Bradford) – YES
Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – YES
Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – YES
Lawrence Cupoli (R – Rutland) – NO
Lynn Dickinson (R – St. Albans) – ABSENT
Karen Dolan (D – Essex) – YES
Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – YES
Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – NO
Kate Donnally (D – Hyde Park) – YES
David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – YES
Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – YES
Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – YES
Peter Fagan (R – Rutland) – NO
Martha Feltus (R – Lyndon) – YES
John Gannon (D – Wilmington) – YES
Leslie Goldman (D – Bellows Falls) – YES
Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – ABSENT
Maxine Grad (D – Moretown) – YES
Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – NO
James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) – NO
Lisa Hango (R – Birkshire) – NO
James Harrison (R – Chittenden) – NO
Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – NO
Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – NO
Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – YES
Mary Hooper (D – Montpelier) – YES
Philip Hooper (D – Randolph) – YES
Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – YES
Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – YES
Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – YES
Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – YES
Kimberly Jessup (D – Middlesex) – YES
John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – YES
Charles Kimbell (D – Woodstock) – YES
Warren Kitzmiller (D – Montpelier) – YES
Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – YES
Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – PRESIDING
Robert LaClair (R – Barre) – NO
Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) – YES
Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – YES
Paul Lefebvre (R – Newark) – YES
Samantha Lefebvre (R – Orange) – NO
Felisha Leffler (R – Enosburgh) – NO
William Lippert (D – Hinesburg) – YES
Emily Long (D – Newfane) – YES
Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – NO
Marcia Martel (R – Waterford) – NO
Paul Martin (R – Franklin) – NO
James Masland (D – Thetford) – YES
Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – NO
Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans) – YES
Curtis McCormack (D – Burlington) – YES
Patricia McCoy (R – Poultney) – NO
James McCullough (D – Williston) – YES
Francis McFaun (R – Barre) – NO
Leland Morgan (R – Milton) – NO
Michael Morgan (R – Milton) – NO
Kristi Morris (D – Springfield) – YES
Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – NO
Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – YES
Emma Mulvaney-Stanak (D – Burlington) – YES
Barbara Murphy (I – Fairfax) – YES
Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – YES
Michael Nigro (D – Bennington) –YES
Robert Norris (R – Sheldon) – NO
Terry Norris (I – Shoreham) – NO
William Notte (D – Rutland) – YES
Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – YES
John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – YES
Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – YES
“Woody” Page (R – Newport) – NO
Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – YES
John Palasik (R – Milton) – NO
Joseph Parsons (R – Newbury) – NO
Carolyn Partridge (D – Windham) – YES
Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – YES
Henry Pearl (D – Danville) –ABSENT
Arthur Peterson (R – Clarendon) – NO
Ann Pugh (D – S. Burlington) – YES
Barbara Rachelson (D/P – Burlington) – YES
Marybeth Redmond (D – Essex) – YES
Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – YES
Carl Rosenquist (R – Georgia) – NO
Larry Satcowitz (D – Randolph) – YES
Brian Savage (R – Swanton) – NO
Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – YES
Heidi Scheuermann (R – Stowe) – NO
Patrick Seymour (R – Sutton) – ABSENT
Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – NO
Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – YES
Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – YES
Katherine Sims (D – Craftsbury) – YES
Taylor Small (P/D – Winooski) – YES
Brian Smith (R – Derby) – NO
Harvey Smith (R – New Haven) – NO
Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – YES
Gabrielle Stebbins (D – Burlington) – YES
Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – YES
Vicki Strong (R – Albany) – NO
Linda Joy Sullivan (D – Dorset) – YES
Heather Suprenant (D – Barnard) – YES
Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – YES
Thomas Terenzini (R – Rutland) – NO
George Till (D – Jericho) – YES
Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – YES
Casey Toof (R – St. Albans) – NO
Maida Townsend (D – South) – YES
Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – YES
Tanya Vyhovsky (P/D – Essex) – YES
Tommy Walz (D – Barre) – YES
Kathryn Webb (D – Shelburne) – YES
Kirk White (P/D – Bethel) – YES
Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – YES
Dane Whitman (D – Bennington) – YES
Terri Lynn Williams (R – Granby) – NO
Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – YES
David Yacovone (D – Morristown) – YES
Michael Yantachka (D – Charlotte) – YES
Today’s teens here in VT are indoctrinated lefties in basically every school district. They don’t think for themselves and will simply be a giant block of Dem voters because mommy, daddy and their teachers have been pumping them full of it* since birth. The human brain reaches development at twenty-five and it’s not even close at 16. This is a bad idea.
You have to be 18 in order to stain grease in a fryalator, because they are not responsible enough at a younger age to be careful and not get burned by hot grease.
You can’t sign legal documents because your a minor, but you can make laws for the state?
You can’t be paid to drive a vehicle until you are 18, but you can drive the state?
You have no life experience of living on your own, but you are able to tell the state how to live their lives?
You haven’t finished high school and you want to rule the world?
What could possibly be wrong with this plan?
Just put up on TNR is a letter I just wrote about this issue: Teenage voting is not for the teenagers. Here is the link: http://www.truenorthreports.com/letter-teenage-voting-is-not-for-the-teenagers
At 16, one cannot join the armed forces of the US
At 16, one is a sophomore in high school
At 16, various VT laws state those persons are juveniles
Let us hope Scott has the wisdom to veto this bill.
I was going through the list and let me tell you there were 3 (R’s) that shouldn’t have an R after their name.. Then the Rep from my town voted YES.. knew this person would vote yes,.the person isn’t too smart..
I really don’t understand how these fools can think that 16 ys old are even considered smart enough to vote much less run for office.;;
So the out-of-staters in the Legislations who voted YES, better remember that these teenagers if commit a crime will not be tried as minors but as adults !!! And they better be tried as ADULTS..
Wait !!! You know some of these 17 – 18 yos might be smarter than the democrats in the leguslations….mmmmm
Can my dogs vote ? They are a lot smarter than your average 16 year old.
In the past month, an 18 year old shot up the University Mall in Burlington and wounded one person. The shooter escaped to Florida, was captured and returned to Vermont. State’s Attorney Sarah George told the Court the shooter is only a child and should not be charged as an adult…….Apparently too immature.
A few days later in Rutland, another 18 year old shot and killed a person in a Rutland motel where drug use was supposedly going on…….His lawyer sez, the shooter is just a child…….Apparently too immature to be treated as an adult.
Each of these 18 year olds are too immature to be treated adults we’re told………Yet 102 Vermont legislators believe that 16-17 years should be able to vote and serve on the Town’s Select Board…….Apparently, this group of teenagers passes the Legislative maturity test and should vote and run the town.
Under this vote by the Legislature, if a 17 year public official in Brattleboro held up the Town Treasurer, escaped with the tax receipts and was later caught, would he/she be charged as an adult or sent off to juvenile court because he/she is only a child?