Compromise in the upper chamber.
Democrats and Republicans in the Vermont Senate came to an agreement Wednesday on a Republican amendment to legislation for establishing universal mail-in voting for future general elections.
On Tuesday, the Senate gave preliminary approval to the bill, S.15, which includes myriad other procedural changes aimed at making it easier for Vermonters to cast ballots.
After the Senate vote Tuesday, Rep. Corey Parent, R-Franklin, brought up an amendment that would have added a study committee on whether to extend vote-by-mail to the state’s primary elections and Town Meeting Day. As written, the bill applied only to general elections.
The Senate Committee on Government Operations and the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office opposed the change, arguing that primaries are political party exercises and that town clerks should have more flexibility and fewer mandates for how to conduct local elections.
On Wednesday, S.15 was back on the Senate floor for final approval, but Sen. Jeanette White, D-Windham, who chairs the government operations committee, made a motion to pass over the legislation so her panel could have more time to address the amendment.
Parent and the committee met after the Senate adjourned Wednesday and quickly struck a deal.
A new version of the amendment proposed by the Franklin County Republican would direct the Secretary of State’s Office to submit a written report to the House and Senate committees on government operations by early 2023, with findings and recommendations on possibly adopting universal mail-in voting for municipal and primary elections.
The language also directs the secretary of state to look into how expanding mail-in voting for all elections could help turn out historically disenfranchised voters.
Chris Winters, Vermont’s deputy secretary of state, told the committee his office supported the change and was happy with the 2023 timeline.
“I appreciate the committee’s giving me four meetings on this and getting to a point where we can say ‘yes,’” Parent said. “I look forward to working with you as we move forward and hopefully in 2023, when we get the results of this, to do something exciting.”
“From the very beginning we all appreciated the intent behind your initial attempt,” White said.
The Senate is scheduled to take up the amendment and the legislation on Thursday.
With this bill, at least, lawmakers have not simply been mailing it in.
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