Vermont hits record 92.5 percent voter registration ahead of election

[babylonsister]

https://vtdigger.org/2018/10/16/vermont-hits-record-92-5-percent-voter-registration-ahead-election/

Vermont hits record 92.5 percent voter registration ahead of election
By Xander Landen
Oct 16 2018, 7:33 PM | 3 comments


With less than a month before the general election, a record number of Vermonters are registered to vote, according to the secretary of state’s office.

As of Tuesday morning, 481,111 state residents were listed on Vermont’s voter rolls, about 92.5 percent of the state’s approximately 520,000 eligible votes. That’s roughly 16,000 more than two years ago, when registration peaked ahead of election day in 2016.

Data from the secretary of state’s office shows the uptick in registered voters has been driven largely by the state’s new automatic voter registration system, which took effect in January 2017.

The system allows voters to register automatically when they receive or update their driver’s licenses, or other forms of identification, at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Between January 1 and October 11 of 2018, about 16,000 of the 30,400 voter registrations were completed through the new automatic system. About 7,000 of those registrations were completed using the secretary of state’s online system.

With driver’s licenses due to be renewed every four years, Secretary of State Jim Condos expects the new system will continue to bring in a spike of registrations for the next few years.

“It takes us a full cycle before we get everybody,” he said. “The goal is we’re going to get as many eligible Vermonters as possible to be registered to vote.”

more...

https://vtdigger.org/2018/10/16/vermont-hits-record-92-5-percent-voter-registration-ahead-election/

[WeekiWater]

1. I never new Vermont was that small.

The population of the last county I moved from is well over twice that number.

Great job Vermont. Get them signed up. Get them to the polls. Leahy is one of the best.

[handmade34]

2. good...

me and partner voted today... go Christine!!!!!!

letter to Editor about Christine...

Dear Editor,

I watched the gubernatorial debate sponsored by VT Digger Wednesday, Oct. 10, and Christine Hallquist once again proved that she has the leadership qualities Vermont needs.

She is smart, she listens to and learns from people, and she feels comfortable challenging Gov. Scott’s claim of making Vermont more affordable. He claims not raising taxes will make life more affordable for the most vulnerable, but do the math. If one gets a raise from $10.25 an hour to $15 an hour for a 40-hour work week, that comes to $190 more a week and $9,880 a year before taxes. How does that compare to any tax relief Scott claims to give to the most vulnerable? Scott vetoed paid family leave. That forces working families to either miss a day’s pay to take care of their loved ones, or not take care of their loved ones in order to makes ends meet.

Hallquist rocks it when it comes to renewable energy. She knows her stuff. Gov. Scott, to his credit, believes in climate change but pales in comparison to Hallquist in having strategies for dealing with it. Hallquist believes in community and knows the importance of schools in the community. She wants to stop funding our education system with property taxes and link it to income taxes. Hallquist wants to work on a regional basis to make solutions to our health care system work. Scott appears pretty happy with the status quo.

To find out more about Christine Hallquist, I encourage you to look at Wednesday’s debate on Rutland’s community access TV website, or go to the Christine for Vermont website to see where she stands on the issues. Better yet, go see her in person at the Chester Town Hall, Tuesday, Oct. 23, starting at 6:30 p.m.
Sincerely,

https://www.christineforvermont.com/

[redstatebluegirl]

3. Good for Vermont, but we need to see that nationwide.

Vermont is a really small state.

[Totally Tunsie]

4. Vermonters are a unique species.

They might be small in number, but they are mighty in thought! We have several Vermonters in my family - both native-born and transplants - and their opinions and voices are strong. They want to be heard and represented.

It's a rare occasion to go to Vermont without getting into a lively discussion with its residents. It's just part of the Vermont nature - strong and crusty. Maybe it's the cold weather, maybe it's just their independent spirit, but Vermonters are not shy about making their feelings known. No one can say that Bernie Sanders is an introvert!

It's no surprise they want to be counted when it counts!

[democrank]

5. So proud of our state

for this and a zillion other reasons.