Past Campaigns

Brattleboro Common Sense has had a long history of advocating for democracy and justice. We have led or supported the following campaigns:

• • March 2015 — first campaign for the Youth Vote town charter amendment to lower the voting age for local elections (2nd campaign added service in local government and succeeded in 2019)
  • March 2015 — Ending Voter Suppression and advocating for Election Reform amendments (We contested the selectboard interference in the election but lost the VT Supreme Court decision 2015)
  • 2014 — Clean Air Resolution, a short climate emergency declaration with Center for Biodiversity Clean Air Cities to demand application of the Clean Air Act to atmospheric carbon.
  • 2014 — Budget Referendum, saving $2.7 M on the Police-Fire project
  • 2012 — Resolution to reverse the Supreme Court “Citizens United” decision, forwarded to the state legislature
  • 2010 — EMDOVY Resolution, for a legislative study of eminent domain to close VY nuke reactor because of economic threat and recover cleanup costs from the owner. — https://www.emdovy.org/
  • 2010 — Fighting Voter Suppression BCS won a court decision securing the people’s right to bring resolutions to a public vote without fear of censorship by town government
  • 2009 —True Pardon Resolution for plea-bargaining re Bush war crimes (censored by town government)
  • 2008 —Bush Indictment Resolution, the only legislation in the U.S. for prosecuting G. W. Bush for war crimes and violation of U.S. Law in the War on Terror, it promoted universal jurisdiction in accordance with the Nuremberg Principles. — http://bushindictment.org/

We have advanced democracy for everyone in the state. As Brattleboro has gained a small voice on the national stage, it becomes important for us living here to express ourselves on national issues. And as many people addressed global issues locally, others with a more traditional approach to government began in 2011 to actively suppress the peoples’ free speech and petition rights. Brattleboro Common Sense has gone to the streets and to the courts, to end voter suppression, to end the abuse of government power, and to restore those rights whose use gives Brattleboro so much of its character and reputation, rights that are essential to innovation in government and to democracy.