Support Veterans, Move Primary Election Date

We owe so much to our Veterans. The sacrifices they make for our country cannot be overvalued. And today’s soldiers are all volunteers. They fight for democracy abroad for people all over the world, and preserve our freedoms here at home.

Yet their ability to vote is not as strong as it could be. For some, when ballots are sent to them overseas, they don’t have enough time to send their ballots back to vote. That’s been the finding of the federal government when they asked Vermont and certain other states to change the timing of some of their elections.

For Vermont, the federal government ordered Vermont to change its primary elections – normally held in early September, back about two weeks. That’s what’s been was passed out from the Senate and the House. The primary, if it becomes law, will be in late August instead. That small change will allow our soldiers to be able to participate in the very democracy they work so hard to defend. The vote from the House Committee was unanimous and thankfully did not succumb to partisanship. It had the support of all seven Democrats and all four Republicans. It’s good to know that we can be united in our support of our soldiers.