Scott vetoes noncitizen voting in Montpelier and Winooski local elections

Gov. Phil Scott has vetoed two bills that would have approved charter amendments in Montpelier and Winooski to allow noncitizen residents to vote in their local elections.

Scott wrote in his veto letter that while well-intentioned the measures would lead to inconsistency in election policy and create separate but unequal classes of residents potentially able to vote on local issues.

"I believe it is the role of the Legislature to establish clarity and consistency on this matter," Scott said in the veto letter. "This should include defining how municipalities determine which legal residents may vote on local issues, as well as specifying the local matters they may vote on. Returning these bills provides the opportunity to do this important work." 

He asked the Legislature to revisit the topic and develop a statewide policy or uniform process for municipalities wishing to do so to grant the voting right in local elections “to all legal residents.”