Disability rights group calls for more inclusive town meetings
March 4, 2023To the community:
For as long as Vermont has been a state, there has been Town Meeting Day – an opportunity for community members to come together and cast their votes for a shared future.
More than just a time-honored tradition, local elections ensure that everyone has equal representation to collectively address problems and create solutions. This belief is such an integral part of who we are as Vermonters that our state flag bears the motto “freedom and unity”.
Unfortunately, for too long, Town Meeting Day has not provided opportunity for equal representation including for people with disabilities, older Vermonters, those without access to transportation, and people who are unable to obtain childcare or time off from work.
The mission of the Vermont Coalition for Disability Rights is to advance the human and civil rights of people with disabilities to ensure full and equal participation in all aspects of community life and the political process. At VCDR we believe that the ability to exercise one’s civil right to vote in local elections is an essential prerequisite to equitable access to life in Vermont.
Though the ongoing pandemic further uncovered and perpetuated deep disparities in many ways, it also provided unprecedented access and inclusion in others. One of these ways was shifting town meetings so that anyone could vote – whether they were able to be physically present in the room or not – via Australian ballot.
Earlier this year the legislature and governor worked together to enshrine voting rights access by passing and signing H.42 into law which gives towns the tools they need to make voting accessible to all. Unfortunately, the majority of Vermont's communities are not yet making use of these options and many people – especially older Vermonters and those with disabilities – will be unable to vote on all articles.
VCDR recognizes that community and democracy are both stronger when everyone is able to take part. That is why we are asking the 175 towns and selectboards listed below to reconsider how they might utilize the new provisions of the law to create an inclusive Town Meeting Day.
With Freedom and Unity,
Sarah Launderville, president
Vermont Coalition for Disability Rights
Individuals with disabilities wanting support in requesting reasonable accommodations to vote on Town Meeting Day can email, call, or text: 802-224-1818 or kate@vcil.org (at the Vermont Center for Independent Living).
This commentary lists the towns in Vermont that still conduct Town Meeting Day business at meetings where voters must attend in person:
Albany, Alburgh, Andover, Arlington, Athens, Bakersfield, Baltimore, Barnard, Barnet, Barton, Belvidere, Benson, Berlin, Bethel, Bloomfield, Bolton, Bradford, Braintree, Brattleboro, Bridgewater, Bridport, Brighton, Bristol, Brookfield, Brookline, Brownington, Cabot, Calais, Cambridge, Canaan, Charleston, Chelsea, Chester, Chittenden, Corinth, Cornwall, Coventry, Craftsbury, Danby, Danville, Derby, Dorset, Dover, East Haven, East Montpelier, Eden, Elmore, Enosburg, Essex Town, Fairfax, Fairfield, Fairlee, Fayston, Ferrisburgh, Fletcher, Franklin, Glover, Goshen, Grafton, Granby, Granville, Greensboro, Groton, Guildhall, Guilford, Halifax, Hancock, Hardwick, Hartland, Highgate, Holland, Huntington, Hyde Park, Ira, Irasburg, Jamaica, Jay, Jericho, Johnson, Kirby, Landgrove, Lemington, Lincoln, Londonderry, Lowell, Ludlow, Lunenburg, Maidstone, Manchester, Marshfield, Mendon, Middlebury, Monkton, Montgomery, Moretown, Morgan, Mount Tabor, New Haven, Newark, Newfane, Newport Town, Northfield, Norton, Orange, Orwell, Peacham, Peru, Pittsfield, Pittsford, Plainfield, Plymouth, Pownal, Proctor, Putney, Randolph, Readsboro, Richford, Richmond, Ripton, Rochester, Rockingham, Roxbury, Rupert, Ryegate, St. George, Sandgate, Searsburg, Shaftsbury, Sharon, Sheldon, Shoreham, Stamford, Stannard, Starksboro, Stockbridge, Stowe, Strafford, Stratton, Sudbury, Sunderland, Sutton, Thetford, Topsham, Townshend, Troy, Tunbridge, Underhill, Vernon, Waitsfield, Walden, Waltham, Warren, Washington, Waterbury, Waterford, Waterville, Weathersfield, West Fairlee, West Windsor, Westfield, Westminster, Westmore, Weston, Weybridge, Wheelock, Whiting, Whitingham, Williamstown, Wilmington, Winhall, Wolcott, Woodbury, Woodford, Woodstock, Worcester.