Thinking About Running for the Vermont House or Senate?
Ever thought about running for the House or Senate? If you decide to run this year you certainly won’t be alone.
It appears that this will be an active election year in local legislative races. Challengers are already lining up to take on the incumbents and each other this election year. Here are some basics about how to make yourself a candidate.
First, if you don’t know, you need to find out, what legislative district you live, and are a registered voter, in. The following are the local districts and the legislators who now serve them.
The Vermont House
Orleans 1 - Brownington, Charleston, Derby, Holland, and Morgan - Robert Lewis and Scott Wheeler
Orleans 2 - Coventry, Irasburg, Newport City, and Newport Town - Duncan Kilmartin and Micheal Marcotte
Orleans-Franklin 1 - Lowell, Montgomery, North Troy, Troy, and Westfield -Dexter Randal
Orleans-Caledonia 1 - Albany, Barton, Craftsbury, Glover, Greensboro, Sheffield, and Wheelock - John Morley and John Rodgers
Essex-Caledonia-Orleans - Averill, Avery’s Gore, Brighton, Canaan, East Haven, Ferdinand, Lemington, Lewis, Newark, Norton, Warren’s Gore, Warner’s Gore, and Westmore. - Bill Johnson
The Vermont Senate
Essex-Orleans Counties - Vince Illuzzi and Robert Starr
Another important fact that people should know before they run is – what party banner do you plan to run under? For example, do you plan to run as a Democrat, Progressive, Republican, an Independent, or another party? That decision might sound easy to some people, but for many Vermonters, who have a proud tradition of voting for the person who they think will best serve them, not the party, it isn’t always easy. Many Vermonters don’t even think in the lines of being in a particular party. Although not mandatory, it wouldn’t hurt finding, and talking to, the party leaders in your community and the state.
To appear on the September 9 primary election ballot, candidates for the House and Senate, including incumbents, must have their petitions filed no later than July 21. Candidates for the senate must collect at least 100 signatures of registered voters from their legislative district, while candidates for the Vermont House must collect at least 50 such signatures.
Typically between now and Primary Day, most candidates will work to get their names known to potential voters. Some candidates will spend enormous amounts of money and time on their election, buying ad space on television, radio, and in newspapers. Many candidates will also plaster the road sides of their district with colorful, many say, ugly, roadside signs encouraging people passing by to vote for them. Other signs will simply have one name, typically the candidate’s surname. And yet other candidates will hit the road, knocking on doors telling potential voters how, if elected, they’ll do this or that. Standing on the road side waving and smiling at passing cars has become one of the favorite pastime for candidates in recent years. Other candidates simply run on their already well established name and reputation, forgoing the campaign trail, happy to accept whatever the voters decide for them on election day.
Once the primary ballots are counted up two members from each party (if there are even two people from a given party running) are chosen by the number of votes caste for them. Then the process starts all over again. The winning candidates in the primaries again hit the campaign trail.
Come November 4, the voters will return to the polls in the general election. This is the voters day – the day that they will tell the world who they want to represent them in the Vermont State House.
Legislative races are often tiring and stressful (for the candidates and the community), it also can be a great learning experience. And while most candidates from the various parities run good, clean, and honest races, Vermont and Vermonters, have a reputation of rebuking candidates who drop to the levels that we often see in national politics.
Those who are elected to the House or the Senate will serve in their position for two years, then the race will start all over again. I should note that the legislative session typically lasts from January to May.
Best wishes to all those who should decide to run for office, whether it is your first time, or whether you are a seasoned legislator. The opportunity to run for office is one thing that makes our country great.
People with questions about the election process can visit the Vermont Election Division’s website at http://www.sec.state.vt.us. If you cannot find the information you need, please call the Elections Division in the Office of the Secretary of State at (800) 439-8683 or (802) 828-2464.