VTDigger file photo by Glenn Russell
Biography
Sarah Copeland Hanzas was elected Vermont’s Secretary of State in 2022. She has dedicated her career to educating young Vermonters, advocating for policies that strengthen their future, and fighting for democracy in the state legislature. As Secretary of State, Sarah continues this vital work, focusing on strengthening, protecting, and preserving Vermont’s democracy.
In her role, Sarah is leading the charge to empower all Vermonters to participate in their democracy. She advocates for change, encourages citizens to petition their elected leaders, and ensures that every Vermonter’s voice is heard in elections. Under her leadership, Vermont aims to continue leading the way in democratic engagement.
Sarah has steadily improved the operations of the Secretary of State’s office, overseen the revitalization and expansion of the Education and Civic Engagement program, and modernized the Safe at Home address confidentiality program.
Her tenure as Secretary of State builds on her 18 years in the Vermont House of Representatives, where she:
- Prioritized election reforms that put civic engagement and voter accessibility at the forefront.
- Spearheaded initiatives to break down barriers for Vermonters to register and vote.
- Led efforts to enact universal vote-by-mail during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring ease of access to voting while protecting public health.
- Made universal vote-by-mail permanent for Vermont’s general elections in 2021.
Candidate occupation
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Why are you running for office?
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Issues in depth
What are the most important responsibilities of the Secretary of State’s Office?
Elections Management: Ensuring that all elections in Vermont are free, fair, and accessible. This involves overseeing voter registration, maintaining accurate voter rolls, and supporting our town and city clerks to conduct elections smoothly and securely.
Business Services: Facilitating business formation, registration, and compliance within the state. This includes maintaining a database of registered businesses, handling trademark registrations, and providing resources for businesses to thrive.
Public Records: Preserving and providing access to vital public records, including land records, state archives, and municipal records. This ensures transparency and historical preservation for future generations.
Professional Licensing: Administering the licensure and regulation of various professions to protect public health, safety, and welfare. This includes overseeing licensing boards and ensuring that professionals meet the necessary standards.
Civic Education: Promoting civic engagement and education among Vermonters. This involves outreach programs, educational initiatives, and resources to encourage informed and active participation in the democratic process.
Safe at Home Program: Administering the Safe at Home address confidentiality program, which provides a legal substitute address for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, helping to protect their privacy and safety.
Each of these responsibilities is crucial to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and efficiency of our state’s government and services.
What would your top three priorities be if you were elected or reelected to the Secretary of State’s Office?
This fall Vermont’s first ever Civic Health Index (CHI) will be complete, reviewing how Vermonters interact with their communities and government. We are collaborating with partners across our state to help us understand if there are differences between geographic areas, between socio-economic groups, or between demographic groups. The results of the CHI will help us target our civic engagement outreach in the coming years.
The legislature has tasked the Secretary of State with reviewing Vermonters’ access to local, municipal meetings. We will work with municipal leaders and clerks to explore improvements through hybrid meetings, expanded use of Australian ballots, or other means. We have a proud tradition of direct democracy through Town Meeting, but many Vermonters are unable to come to in person meetings, and others want to see expanded use of electronic meeting access to encourage more participation.
By the end of 2024, our Office of Professional Regulation will have completed a months-long study of mental health licensing in Vermont. For years, we have heard concerns that there are not enough mental health providers to meet the needs of children and adults in crisis. This study will identify ways to streamline licensure and ensure the process efficiently establishes someone’s credentials to provide mental health counseling without sacrificing public health and safety. The recommendations of the mental health study will likely lead to legislation which my office will shepherd through the process. It will be a priority of mine to ensure these recommended changes are implemented as soon as possible.
If you’re an incumbent, what are you most proud of achieving in the Secretary of State’s Office? If you’re a challenger, what could you do better than the incumbent?
One of my proudest achievements as Secretary of State is the significant strides we’ve made in promoting civic engagement and voter participation across Vermont. Ensuring Vermonters know how to participate in elections, are offered a chance to register to vote, and have access to information about candidates and issues on their ballot is central to the work of our Civics program this year.
Additionally, we are working with a group of Teacher Advisors to curate civics curriculum teachers can use in our schools. Ensuring young people are prepared to participate in our democracy is critical to our future, and theirs. We do a disservice to our youth if we don’t equip them with the skills to step into leadership, we risk leaving them disheartened if they feel powerless to fix the big problems they see. Every student should graduate with a good understanding of how government works and how to vote.
I’m also very proud of the work we are doing to modernize the Safe at Home program. This address confidentiality program has been key to the safety of thousands of victims of domestic violence, stalking or human trafficking in the 20+ years since its inception. In 2023, the Legislature expanded eligibility to include providers and recipients of protected health care services, such as reproductive care and gender affirming care. We are building a self-enrollment portal so that Vermonters who need to use this program can communicate with us directly and easily, without having to print out a paper application.
What’s the most important thing voters probably don’t know about you?
One of the most important things voters may not know about me is my deep commitment to engaging with and listening to Vermonters in every corner of our state. I love visiting town clerks, attending community events, presenting at Vermont schools, or simply having one-on-one conversations. I prioritize staying connected with the people I serve. This hands-on approach helps me understand the unique challenges and needs of our communities, ensuring that my priorities and initiatives truly reflect the needs of Vermonters. This commitment to accessibility and responsiveness is at the heart of my work as your Secretary of State.
Financial disclosure
Candidates for state and legislative offices are required to submit a financial disclosure when filing to run. These disclosures include each source, but not the amount, of personal income of each candidate, and of their spouse or domestic partner, that singly or jointly totals more than $5,000 for the previous 12 months. The information provided is an opportunity for voters to learn about candidates’ potential conflicts of interest.
You can find Copeland Hanzas’s financial disclosure here.
Campaign finance
Candidates for state office in Vermont are required to report to the Secretary of State’s Office how much they raise and spend on their campaigns — as well as where the money is coming from and where it’s going. VTDigger has analyzed that data and presented it here in a way we hope will best inform readers.
You can use the tables below to view this candidate’s top donors and donors by category. Use the search box to look for a specific entity, or use the arrows to browse through the database. This data is up to date as of the latest filing deadline.
Disclaimer
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