Our 2024 Primary Election Voter Guide features responses from 60+ candidates running for the Vermont House of Representatives and the Vermont Senate this year. With questions ranging from economic and racial justice to police accountability and criminal legal reform, this resource aims to foster greater transparency and accountability from candidates for office and to empower Vermonters to vote their values in the primary election on August 13th.
Note: The ACLU is a non-partisan 501c(4) organization, and we neither endorse nor oppose candidates for elected office. The information collected in this survey is for non-partisan voter education.
Voter Guide
Our civil rights and civil liberties are on the line this November, which makes it more important than ever that Vermont voters know who is on the ballot and what they plan to do if elected. When it comes to our most basic rights and freedoms, it is critical that we elect leaders to the State House who will take bold action to make Vermont a place where everyone can thrive, no matter what happens in Washington.
By default, the link above is only showing candidates that filled out the survey. Be sure to click on a candidate's name to view their full response to the survey. You may also wish to view a full list of candidates for office with a comparison of their survey responses (or non-responses) sorted by county, linked above.
Candidates were asked to answer the following questions:
- Will you support implementing Housing First policies that ensure everyone has access to housing, unconditionally and with greater access to services?
- Will you support policies that advance a public health response to substance use by reducing criminal penalties for drug-related offenses?
- Will you support efforts to ensure public education funds are not being used to support institutions that discriminate against LGBTQ+ students and parents?
- Will you support raising revenue by ensuring the wealthiest Vermonters pay their fair share in taxes?
- Will you support increasing police oversight and ensuring accountability for police officers when they violate someone’s civil rights?
- Will you support reducing racial disparities in policing by advancing Smarter Stops legislation, which addresses disproportionate stops and searches of Black and Latinx drivers?
Smart Justice Pledge
As a part of our survey, we also invited candidates to take the Smart Justice Pledge. Smart Justice candidates “support policies that reduce Vermont’s prison population and the racial disparities in our criminal legal system and oppose policies that are likely to increase prison populations and racial disparities in the criminal legal system."
View the Smart Justice Candidate List
Information for Candidates
The ACLU of Vermont's 2024 candidate questionnaire was sent on June 25th to all candidates registered with the Secretary of State for the Vermont House and Senate August 13th primaries. If you did not fill out the survey but would like to now, please email Emily Hagan-Howe at [email protected] for instructions.
