Gov. Phil Scott on Monday vetoed a charter change that would have granted 16- and 17-year-olds in Brattleboro the right to vote and serve as Town Meeting representatives.
This is the Republican governor’s third veto of the legislative session. In a letter accompanying his veto of H.361, Scott implied that lawmakers were trying to have it both ways — lowering the age to vote but raising it in the context of criminal prosecutions.
“The Legislature has repeatedly raised the age of accountability to reduce the consequences when young adults commit criminal offenses. They have argued this approach is justified because these offenders are not mature enough to contemplate the full range of risks and impacts of their actions,” Scott wrote.
He added that such policy debates should occur on a statewide — not local — basis.
“I do not support creating a patchwork of core election laws and policies that are different from town to town. The fundamentals of voting should be universal and implemented statewide,” he wrote.
A Dillon’s Rule state, Vermont requires municipalities to get the green light from Montpelier before amending their charters. Brattleboro voters first approved the charter amendment in 2019 by a more than 2-1 margin.
“Please respect the will of our local vote for this Brattleboro-only initiative that only affects our municipal elections,” Brattleboro Selectboard Chair Elizabeth McLoughlin and Vice-Chair Ian Goodnow wrote to Scott after lawmakers sent the bill to his desk. “By saying yes, you will help the youth of Brattleboro to develop an early, healthy civic investment and engagement in their community and for both our youth and the people of Brattleboro to be truly heard.”
The Legislature may ultimately vote to override Scott’s veto. The measure passed with 102 votes in the House and 20 votes in the Senate. If no lawmaker switches their vote — and isn’t absent — legislative leaders in both chambers would be able to just barely get the two-thirds majority required to override. The House would have to act first.
Lawmakers also narrowly overrode the governor’s veto last year on a similar matter when Scott attempted to block charter changes in Winooski and Montpelier allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections. That measure is now law, and non-citizens in those two municipalities will be able to cast their ballots on Town Meeting Day tomorrow.
Correction: The first sentence of this article has been changed to refine the Brattleboro offices for which 16- and 17-year-olds could run.
