VTDigger sent out an email form to lawmakers asking them to voluntarily declare who they voted for in the legislative gubernatorial election last Thursday. Though the vote by written ballot was private, many said they had already told their constituents how they voted.
As of Sunday evening, 105 lawmakers responded. We have published the names of the lawmakers in alphabetical order by first name, along with their declared vote for governor and in some cases an explanation for their vote.
Please see the Google spreadsheet at the end of this post.
If you are a lawmaker who would like to be included on the list, please email Anne Galloway at agalloway@vtdigger.org. Please include your name, your district name, your party, your vote and any explanation. We will keep the spreadsheet open for new entries until Wednesday, Jan. 14.
Lawmakers reinstated Gov. Peter Shumlin, a Democrat, as governor last Thursday. They cast 110 ballots for Shumlin and 69 for Republican Scott Milne. The third candidate, Dan Feliciano, the Libertarian, did not receive any votes.
Many lawmakers voted either along party lines, or the way their constituents, i.e., legislative districts voted.
Milne, lost the popular vote by 2,434 ballots cast and in a precedent setting move did not concede the race in November, arguing that he won by legislative district.
The Vermont Constitution does not specify whether a candidate can win by legislative district or by popular vote.
For that reason, lawmakers are now considering whether to go through the arduous process of amending the Constitution. Political scientists say the Milne/Shumlin election could open the door to future contested legislative gubernatorial election. It’s widely believed that Vermont will continue to see multiple parties run for the top elective office and in the event of a three- or four-way general election it becomes increasingly difficult for any candidate to get 50 percent plus one vote.
Vermont is one of two states in the nation that gives lawmakers the authority to determine the outcome of an election in which no candidate gets 50 percent plus one of ballots cast.
Here is a sampling of explanations offered by lawmakers:
Rep. Tommy Walz, Washington-3, Democrat
1. Peter Shumlin had the most votes. Whoever carries the state should carry the legislature.
2. We do not elect governor by district but by the direct vote of Vermonters.
3. Scott Milne is not ready. He has no budget and no cabinet. It’s bit late to get started.
4. Milne did not convey a clear vision during his campaign. His proposal for education would have been worse than the current situation.
This whole issue indicates we should be looking at a constitutional amendment.
Rep. Scott Beck, Caledonia-3, Republican
St. Johnsbury voted by a 2-1 margin for Scott Milne; I will honor their sentiment. In my opinion, if the plurality winner was meant to win the election, it would have been expressed in Vermont’s Constititution. I will be voting with the strong sentiment of my district – Caledonia-3 St. Johnsbury
Rep. Sarah Buxton, Windsor-Orange-1, Democrat
Milne beat Shumlin in both of my towns- but he failed to secure over 50% of ballots cast in either town, negating the conclusion that he won the support of my district. Thursday’s vote is a different from the general election because there are only 3 candidates to consider. Our election system was not structured as an electoral system. Instead, it rests upon the winning candidate achieving the highest number of votes. Our democracy upholds the will of the people by abiding by the principle of “one person, one vote.” To disregard the plurality in favor of a second-place finisher is to cast aside the will of all the voters. We are a “citizen legislature” designed to work in concert with a full-time administration and reflecting a deliberate constitutional framework that places the onus of budget preparation on the governor. The stakes are too high for our Governor not to be ready on day one.
Rep. Mitzi Johnson, Grand Isle-Chittenden, Democrat
This is the fourth such vote I’ve cast, and each time I voted for the person who got the most votes statewide: Douglas, Dubie, Phil Scott and Shumlin. A core pillar of democracy is that the person who gets the most votes, wins. In the first three instances, the runners-up (Racine, Shumlin and Howard) chose to gracefully concede their defeat. In addition, I spoke with Mr. Milne a few days before the election and asked: 1) how he had prepared himself to be able to deliver a budget on time, and 2) how many people had agreed and were ready to become part of his management team (Secretaries and Commissioners) if he were elected. Though we had a respectful conversation, he did not have concrete answers, and I did not feel he was prepared to take office.
Rep. Job Tate, Rutland-Windsor-1, Republican
Many people have asked me how I intend to vote concerning the governor’s race. It’s my belief that the framers of Vermont’s constitution were concerned that any candidate for governor that got below 50% would lack the statewide support to effectively govern. We can debate on whether or not this was a wise decision on their part but I have to believe it’s not just a ceremonial extra step to vote in the person who got the most votes. Every town in my district (Chittenden, Killington, Mendon and Bridgewater) voted overwhelmingly for Milne – as such I will be casting a vote for Milne on Thursday. Even though, like Mr. Milne, I am a Republican I can say in complete honesty that if the situation were reversed and Shumlin had won my district I would be casting a vote for him on Thursday. Handicapping the vote on the 8th, I feel fairly confident that Shumlin will remain our governor and I intend to have a pleasant and productive relationship with him.
Sen. Diane Snelling, Chittenden, Republican
I believe it is fundamental to democracy that every vote counts, and the candidate with the most votes wins. Perhaps the wisdom of the Vermont Constitution is to inspire maximum voter turnout.
