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With veto overrides, lawmakers expand voter eligibility in Brattleboro, Burlington – 06/20/23
“Lawmakers voted Tuesday to override Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of charter changes related to voting in two Vermont communities. …
Effective immediately, the charter change allows Brattleboro residents aged 16 to and 17 to vote in certain town elections, including Town Meeting Day.
The change also allows people 16 and older to run for and be elected to a town office, such as selectboard.
However, voters under 18 would not be allowed to vote in state or national elections, nor would they be allowed to vote in school board elections.”
To read more, visit: https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2023-06-20/with-veto-overrides-lawmakers-expand-voter-eligibility-in-brattleboro-burlington
Comment:
The selectboard lawsuits against our homeless shelter are overwhelming and frightening, and it’s great to have this good news. It’s been ten years, and Brattleboro is the first city — the only city in America where young people have a voice as voters and as elected officials. This may stem the tide of youth moving out of town. I was just talking with Addie Lentzner of the Vermont Youth Lobby. We’re thinking about a state-wide campaign. BCS will advocate for full voting membership on school boards.
Young Brattleboro students have a great range of options for political expression. On one hand the student member of the school board is formal but tokenized and not allowed to vote. On the other hand students who worked on the Youth Vote also disrupted the selectboard and the Heifer Parade to declare a climate emergency. The Youth Vote amendment creates the best option, both formal and powerful, if the young voters choose to own their power.
Emergency Shelter – 05/10/23
STATUS 202305010
We are low on funds and time. We have at least three “trials” pending, and we may prevail, but for us amateurs the legal work is scary and exhausting. We have (since before this case) been seeking legal counsel pro bono and by the hour, contacting maybe a hundred attorneys, and they are all booked up or unsuited. Some even say they admire BCS’ work but won’t represent us against government.
SUMMARY / REPORT 20230508
We have started a policy model to address the housing shortage for emergency shelter in RVs at our corporate HQ on privately owned land in Brattleboro Vermont. Currently four people live in the RVs. Town authorities are prosecuting us for technical violations of zoning regulations and housing codes, threatening to exact huge fines, and take RVs and home. We believe the prosecution is fraudulent, malicious, and prejudicial.
(Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Story here.
”We must look at climate change as if it were a devastating military attack against the United States and the entire planet. And we must respond accordingly.” — Bernie Sanders, Jan 1, 2019
“We all believe it’s an emergency. Are we acting like it’s an emergency, or do our actions deny our beliefs?” — Kurt Daims
Brattleboro Common Sense believes that a progressive attitude towards police reform is essential to promoting the safety of officers and the public, as well as positive relations and a sense of trust between the two. BCS is now arranging conversations within the Brattleboro community and with other towns in Vermont.
Representative Town Meeting (RTM) is the most directly democratic and widely representative governance body of town government. It should be designated, operated and respected as the Town’s primary legislative body, and should exercise full agency over its own affairs and process.
BCS Nonprofit Donor Drive
Brattleboro Common Sense has organized for a decade, and in 2018 we registered as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. We’re building a local donor base to stabilize our work, ensure community accountability, and attract outside funding.
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