On Tuesday, March 5th’s Brattleboro town ballot (on the back side) is a ballot measure – “Article II” – that will grant 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote on town issues and candidates, be elected to and serve on local school boards (up to 2 on each), and be elected as Town Representatives. The measure has received the endorsement of Brattleboro resident and Senator Becca Balint, and Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman.
Lt. Governor Zuckerman endorsed the measure last Summer, before it had even gotten on the ballot. Writing an endorsement for the campaign’s website, he said “Engaging youth in local decisions is a great way to instill a commitment to their community, bring in new ideas and energy, and to recognize the value they add to the region.”
Senator Balint, in a letter to the editor of the Brattleboro Reformer on February 20th, 2019, stated “As a legislator, as a former social studies teacher, and as an engaged citizen, I know just how important it is to get young people interested in civic engagement early in their lives… I’ll be voting to support this effort, and I hope you will, too.”
The ballot measure has the support of the vast majority of candidates for Brattleboro Selectboard and for the Town School Board (see previous stories). Senator Jeanette White has committed to advocate for the charter change’s ratification by the state legislature, if it is approved by Brattleboro voters.
You can read Lt. Governor Zuckerman’s full endorsement on the campaign’s website: brattleborocommonsense.org/youth-vote (below the news slideshow). To read Senator Balint’s full endorsement, go to: https://www.reformer.com/stories/letter-support-for-youth-vote,565457
