Roll Call! House Rejects Amendment Allowing Party Candidates to Run as Independents (59-78), 2023

H.429 AN ACT RELATING TO MISCELLANEOUS CHANGES TO ELECTION LAWS – SIBILIA AMENDMENT

FAILED
in the State House of Representatives
on March 2, 2023, by a vote of
59-78

Purpose: H.429 was passed on a voice vote, and introduces various election reforms, such as giving the Secretary of State greater freedom to send and receive ballots from Vermonters in other countries, and increasing the amount that a candidate for can give to a political party from $10,000 to $60,000.

The Sibilia Amendment would have removed the provision in H.429 that prohibits major party candidates who lost their primaries from running in Vermont’s general election as a candidate without political affiliation, or “Independent.”

Analysis: Some of those voting YES believe restricting independent candidates in the general election necessarily creates the conditions for the most extreme candidates to win elections, weakening Vermont’s democracy.

Those voting NO maintain that the will of the voters to choose an independent candidate is respected by H.429, so long as they did not run in the primaries. Allowing Independent candidates to run in the general election increases the chances that the Independent candidate will split votes with the primary victor, decreasing the chances of that party’s candidate winning the election.

As Recorded in the House Journal, for Thursday, March 2, 2023, “Shall the bill be amended as offered by Rep. Sibilia of Dover in the first instance of amendment?, was decided in the negative. Yeas, 59. Nays, 78.” (Read the Journal, p. 381-383).

Watch the floor debate on Youtube.

These roll call reports are designed to help citizens understand how their elected representatives vote on key issues. The bills may or may not eventually become law. Click on the link to the bill page at the top of this post for an up to date status on the bill.

How They Voted
(Click on your Rep’s name to send an email)

Julie Andrews ( D-Westford) - NO
Joseph Andriano D-Orwell) - YES
Peter Anthony (D – Barre City) – NO
Norman Arrison (D - Weathersfield) – NO
Angela Arsenault D-Williston) - YES
Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – NO
John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – NO
Ashley Bartley R-Fairfax) - YES
Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – NO
Daisy Berbeco D-Winooski) - NO
Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – NO
Alyssa Black (D - Essex) – NO
Tiffany Bluemle (D - Burlington) – NO
Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – NO
Seth Bongartz (D - Manchester) – NO
Michelle Bos-Lun (D - Westminster) – YES
Erin Brady (D - Williston) – ABSENT
Carolyn Branagan R-Georgia) - ABSENT
Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – YES
Jana Brown (D – Richmond) – NO
Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – YES
Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – NO
Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – YES
Mollie Burke (P/D – Brattleboro) – NO
Elizabeth Burrows (P/D - West Windsor) – NO
Tesha Buss D-Woodstock) - NO
Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – ABSENT
William Canfield R-Fair Haven) - YES
James Carroll D-Bennington) - YES
Conor Casey D-Montpelier) - NO
Ela Chapin D-Montpelier) - YES
Heather Chase D-Chester) - NO
Seth Chase (D – Colchester) –  NO
Robin Chesnut-Tangerman D-Middletown Springs) - YES
Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – NO
Brian Cina (P/D – Burlington) – YES
Paul Clifford (R - Rutland City) - YES
Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – NO
Esme Cole D-White River Jct. - NO
Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – NO
Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – NO
Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – NO
Allen Demar R-Enosburg Falls) - YES
Carl Demrow D-Corinth) - NO
Lynn Dickinson (R – St. Albans Town) – YES
Leonora Dodge D-Essex) - NO
Karen Dolan (D - Essex) –  NO
Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – ABSENT
Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – YES
David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – NO
Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – NO
Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – NO
Bobby Farlice-Rubio D-Mcindoe Falls) - NO
Gina Galfetti R-Barre Town) - YES
Rey Garofano (D - Essex) – NO
Leslie Goldman (D - Bellows Falls) – NO
Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – YES
Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – YES
Edye Graning D-Jericho) - NO
James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) –  YES
Lisa Hango (R – Berkshire) – YES
James Harrison (R – Chittenden) – ABSENT
Troy Headrick P-Burlington) - YES
Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – YES
Rebecca Holcombe D-Norwich) - NO
Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – ABSENT
Philip Jay Hooper (D – Randolph) – NO
Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – NO
Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – NO
Noah Hyman D-South Burlington) - NO
Kathleen James (D – Manchester) –  NO
Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – NO
Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – NO
Emily Krasnow (D - S. Burlington) - NO
Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – PRESIDING
 

Larry Labor (R - Morgan) – YES
Dennis LaBounty (D-Lyndonville) - NO
Kate Lalley D-Shelburne) - NO
Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) –NO
Saudia Lamont D-Morrisville) -  YES
Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – NO
Wayne LaRoche (R - Franklin) - YES
Josie Leavitt D-Grand Isle) - NO
Jed Lipsky I-Stowe) - YES
Kate Logan P-Burlington) - YES
Emily Long (D – Newfane) – NO
Eric Maguire R-Rutland City) - YES
Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – NO
James Masland (D – Thetford) – NO
Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – NO
Kate McCann D-Montpelier) - NO
Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans City) – NO
Patricia McCoy (R – Poultney) – YES
Francis McFaun (R – Barre Town) – ABSENT
Jubilee Mcgill D-Bridport) - YES
Marc Mihaly D-East Calais) - ABSENT
Brian Minier D-South Burlington) - NO
Michael Morgan (R - Milton) – YES
Kristi Morris (D – Springfield) – NO
Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – YES
Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – NO
Emma Mulvaney-Stanak (D - Burlington) - YES
Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – YES
William Notte (D – Rutland) – NO
Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – NO
Kate Nugent (D - South Burlington) - NO
John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – NO
Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – NO
Thomas Oliver R-Sheldon) - YES
“Woody” Page (R – Newport City) – ABSENT
Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – YES
Joseph Parsons (R – Newbury) – YES
Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – NO
Henry Pearl (D - Danville) – ABSENT
Arthur Peterson (R - Clarendon) – YES
Phil Pouech (D - Hinesburg) - YES
Monique Priestley (D - Bradford) - NO
Barbara Rachelson (D/P – Burlington) – YES
Mike Rice D-Dorset) - NO
Tristan Roberts D-Wilmington) - YES
Jarrod Sammis R-Fair Haven) - ABSENT
Larry Satcowitz (D - Randolph) –  NO
Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – NO
Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – YES
Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – NO
Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – YES
Katherine Sims (D - Craftsbury) – YES
Taylor Small (P/D - Winooski) – YES
Brian Smith (R – Derby) – YES
Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – NO
Gabrielle Stebbins (D - Burlington) - NO
Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – NO
Mary-Katherine Stone D-Burlington) - YES
Heather Suprenant (D - Barnard) – YES
Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – NO
Chris Taylor R-Milton) - YES
David Templeman D-Brownington) - NO
Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – NO
Casey Toof (R – St. Albans Town) – YES
Dara Torre D-Moretown) - NO
Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – NO
Matt Walker (R - Swanton) - YES
Chea Waters Evans D-Charlotte) - NO
Kirk White (P/D - Bethel) – NO
Dane Whitman (D - Bennington) – NO
Jonathan Williams D-Barre City) - NO
Terri Lynn Williams (R - Granby) – YES
Charles Wilson R-Lyndonville) - YES
Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – NO



 

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