This commentary is by Becca Balint, D-Windham County, president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate.
Before I ran for office, I studied and taught history. The stories of the people who fought to amend the U.S. Constitution are some of the most compelling stories I shared with my students over the years.
From the first 10 amendments to our national Constitution — that powerful Bill of Rights — to the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery, and the 19th Amendment that expanded voting rights, they are bold declarations of our values. The amendment process itself is an important part of our struggle to form a more perfect union.
A similar amendment process here in Vermont allows us to make meaningful changes in our state constitution. Adopted over 223 years ago, the Vermont Constitution is the North Star of Vermont values. It declares the rights and liberties of all Vermonters.
The Vermont Senate voted last week to approve two proposed constitutional amendments. Ultimately, in November 2022, voters will decide whether to adopt these amendments to further enshrine Vermont values in our constitution.
The first amendment, Proposal 2, clarifies that Vermont prohibits slavery and indentured servitude. Even though Vermont was the first state to include a prohibition on slavery in its constitution in 1777, it was only a partial prohibition. Prop 2 amends the constitution to eliminate all references to slavery.
We know that Vermont is not immune to bigotry and racism. This amendment would serve as an important foundation for addressing systemic racism in our state’s laws and institutions. Many Vermonters want a future that is racially just, but we can’t get there until we’ve addressed the injustice of our past. This amendment reflects this value.
The second amendment, Proposal 5, addresses the right to personal reproductive liberty. Unlike many places in the country, Vermonters support and value reproductive freedom. With the changes at the federal level, the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade, which would block millions of people from the health care they need. If Roe is overturned, one in three women of reproductive age could live in states where abortion is not only not protected, but criminalized.
Yet the vast majority of people in Vermont believe that people should make their own personal health care decisions. They support the right to access abortion safely and legally with their health care providers, without interference from politicians. This amendment reflects this value.
Both Prop 2 and Prop 5 uphold and enshrine the will of Vermonters: that all people have the right to health, dignity, independence and freedom.
The process to pass a Vermont constitutional amendment has multiple steps to ensure that it reflects the will of the people. It requires both the House and Senate to vote on the proposals twice in a four-year period. Then the amendments are voted on directly by Vermonters.
The Senate believes these proposed constitutional amendments deserve to go to voters. And in November 2022, Vermonters across the state will get to weigh in on these proposed changes. Someday, I hope that Vermont history teachers will point to this moment as a bold and compelling declaration of Vermont values.
