In a matter of days, the 2024 General Election will be over. Hooray!
If you have not already sent in your ballot to your town clerk, you have three options according to the Secretary of State’s Office:
Bring your ballot to your town clerk’s office in-person during their open hours.
Drop your ballot into an official ballot drop box at your town office any time before Election Day.
Bring your ballot with you to your polling place on Nov. 5. If a voter shows up to vote in-person without the ballot that was mailed to them, they can sign an affidavit of “No Ballot Cast” and will receive a new ballot to vote then and there.
As of this past weekend, close to 30% of mailed ballots have been returned to their respective Town Clerks. If you mailed yours back or returned it to your town office, you can check to see if it’s been received by logging into mvp.vermont.gov.
I enjoyed seeing area residents recently during my fall “Dump & Donuts” stops at the Killington and Chittenden transfer stations. It was not a surprise to hear many concerns about rising property taxes and their impact on the cost of living in Vermont.
I was saddened to learn that a few long-term residents are on the verge of leaving the state due to the increasing taxes.
The biggest question with the election outcome at the state level, will be the resultant political balance. Currently Democrats and Progressives make up over two-thirds of the Legislature, giving them the ability to override vetoes of Governor Scott. It’s probably safe to say if the make-up doesn’t change, we can expect the Legislature to continue with overriding vetoes on major bills when there is a disagreement. Republicans have fielded more candidates this election cycle hoping to add more balance to enable more bipartisan solutions that will win the governor’s support.
Much of the attention has been on several of the state senate races, where Republicans need to win four seats (and retain their current seven incumbents) to reach a number to block veto overrides in the Senate. The governor has been spending more of his efforts on electing Legislators that will work with him than he has on his own re-election. House Republicans have a steeper climb, needing to have a net pick up of 14 seats to sustain any vetoes by Gov. Scott.
Most of the incumbents in the statewide contests may have the edge, including Phil Scott for governor. However, the race for Lieutenant Governor could be close. Progressive/Democrat David Zuckerman is facing a strong challenge from John Rodgers, a former Democratic legislator and now Republican candidate. Rodgers has the endorsement of Phil Scott and is viewed as an ally that would work with him in the Senate.
Once the new Legislature takes office in January, the first order of business in the House will be to elect a new Speaker. Current Speaker, Jill Krowinski, is being challenged by Laura Sibilia, an independent from Dover. With the Democrats widely expected to maintain a majority, such a bid may be a longshot. Although the actual vote is done by secret ballot so surprises can happen. Stay tuned.
While it may be premature to predict what all the issues will be for the 2025 Legislature, they are likely to include the cost of K-12 education, education financing, the pending clean heat legislation and the cost of health care.
Education could once again prove tricky given the Legislature gave a special study committee until the end of 2025 before major recommendations are put forth. One of the drivers of increases in our education costs this past year was a 16% hike in health insurance costs for teachers and staff.
Last week the education health care plan indicated their rates would need to increase another 12% in the coming year. And as high as they may sound, it is below overall increases of 19% in the small group market for BCBS plans.
Vermont Public has provided a primer on how Vermont funds education, which you can view at: Tinyurl.com/mrjs4ez2.
In closing, I encourage everyone to vote this election if you haven’t already. I will make the rounds outside each of our district’s polling places on Election Day, Nov. 5, and hope to see many of you there.
And while my re-election as the state representative for Rutland-11 may not be the most exciting item on the ballot this year, I do appreciate the support I have received, including those that hosted one of my signs.
Jim Harrison is the state representative for Chittenden, Killington, Mendon, and Pittsfield. He can be reached at JHarrison@leg.state.vt.us.
