Burlington, Vermont, Question 4, Noncitizen Voting Amendment (March 2023)

Burlington Question 4
Election date March 7, 2023
Topic Local charter amendments
Status Approved
Type Referral

Burlington Question 4 was on the ballot as a referral in Burlington on March 7, 2023. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported this charter amendment to allow non-citizens who are legal residents to vote in municipal and school board elections.

A "no" vote opposed this charter amendment to allow non-citizens who are legal residents to vote in municipal and school board elections.

In Vermont, the state legislature must pass charter amendments following local voter approval, and the governor must sign the amendments, for the charter changes to become law.

Election results

Burlington Question 4
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		7,143	67.97%
No		3,366	32.03%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Question 4 was as follows:

“

Shall the Charter of the City of Burlington, Acts of 1949, No. 298 as amended be further amended to add a Section 8a to Article 4 as follows: 8a. Requirements for Legal Resident Voters Who Are Not Citizens: (a) Notwithstanding sections 7 and 8 above and 17 V.S.A., Ch. 43, a legal resident who is not a citizen of the United States shall be a legal voter at a local City of Burlington or Burlington School District election if the individual meets the following qualifications: is a legal resident of the United States, is not less than 18 years of age, has taken the Voter's Oath, resides in the City of Burlington as residency is defined in 17 V.S.A. § 2122, and has registered to vote with the Board of Registration of Voters no later than the deadline established by Vermont law for that election or meeting. (b) For purposes of this section, a legal resident of the United States means any non-citizen who resides in the United States on a permanent or indefinite basis in compliance with federal immigration laws. (c) This section does not change a non-citizen's ability to vote in any state or federal election. (d) A legal resident voter who is not a citizen may cast a ballot only for local officers and local public questions specific to a ward or City district of which the individual is a resident at the time of voting. (e) The Chief Administrative Officer shall develop all necessary forms and procedures for implementation of this section, including identifying on the voter checklist those legal resident voters who are not citizens.

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Support

Arguments

• Gene Bergman, city councillor: "There are all these decisions that are made on a local level, in fact, this is where we live, we live here, we act here and it’s where most of the important things happen, and I believe people should have a stake in it."

Opposition

Arguments

You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Path to the ballot

On November 21, 2022, the Burlington City Council voted to place Question 1 on the ballot. The referral received a unanimous vote.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Vermont

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Vermont.

How to vote in Vermont

Poll times

In Vermont, all polls must open by 10 a.m. All polls close at 7 p.m. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

A United States citizen and state resident who is at least 18 years of age may register to vote in Vermont. The registrant must take the "Voter's Oath," which is included on the voter registration form.

According to the secretary of state's website, "Beginning January 1, 2017, eligible persons may register to vote on any day up to and including the day of the election. Registration is available during all normal business hours of your town or city clerk's office on days preceding the election and during polling hours on Election Day. "

Automatic registration

Vermont automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Vermont has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Vermont allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Vermont, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Vermont does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

As of November 2024, Burlington, Vermont had authorized noncitizen residents to vote in local board elections. Noncitizens must register to vote using a separate application from the state voter registration application.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The My Voter Page, run by the Vermont Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Vermont does not require voters to present identification while voting in most cases. However, first-time voters who registered by mail are required to present identification at the polls.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of April 2023. Click here for the Vermont Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

• Valid photo ID (driver’s license or passport)
• Current utility bill
• Current bank statement
• Another government document containing your residential address

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2023
• Local elections and campaigns on the ballot

Vermont

• Vermont 2023 local measures
• Local ballot measures, Vermont
• Burlington, Vermont

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas