Lt. Governor Zuckerman Calls for Universal Vote by Mail for Vermont’s General Election
PRESS RELEASE: May 5, 2020
Lt. Governor Zuckerman Calls for Universal Vote by Mail for Vermont’s General Election
BURLINGTON: Today, in an email to supporters, Lt. Governor Zuckerman called on Vermonters to sign a petition “telling Governor Phil Scott that Vermont must act immediately to move Vermont toward universal vote by mail for November’s general election.”
The petition itself read: “Tell Gov. Phil Scott: Vote by mail will strengthen our democracy while keeping all Vermonters safe in the midst of a pandemic. I urge you to support Secretary of State Jim Condos and legislative leaders as they work to implement universal vote by mail for November’s general election.” You can see the petition here.
The campaign supplemented this call to action with more information about the necessity for vote by mail both in Vermont and across the country, in addition to outlining how Governor Scott is “standing in the way” of this action. The campaign specifically pointed to a report from the VTDigger that stated, “the Republican governor’s position clashes with the Secretary of State Jim Condos, a Democrat, who has advocated for moving ahead with a universal mail-in ballot system as soon as possible to keep crowds from forming at polling locations.”[1]
This email from the Lt. Governor aligns with the position of many other leading Democrats in Vermont including Secretary of State Jim Condos who said today, “This has happened in Republican states as well as Democrat states. This is not an issue of red or blue, it is an issue of trying to protect our voters’ health and safety.”
The campaign ended its message by celebrating Vermont’s current voting laws but pointing out ways that the state should be moving forward to ensure expand voting rights and protect public safety during the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic: “we, thankfully, have very inclusive voter laws, allowing same-day voter registration and no-excuse absentee voting. But, Vermonters must still request an absentee ballot from their town clerk for August’s primary. We don’t know what the fall will bring. That is why it is imperative we implement universal vote by mail for November. Vermonters should not have to choose between going to the polls and risking their health, or not voting to stay safe.”
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