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Burlington, Vermont, Question 8, Initiative and Referendum Measure (March 2023)
| Burlington Question 8 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Local charter amendments |
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| Status |
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| Type Initiative |
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Burlington Question 8 was on the ballot as an initiative in Burlington on March 7, 2023. It was defeated.
A "yes" vote supported providing citizens the ability to initiate ballot questions, propose enactment and repeal of ordinances by majority vote. |
A "no" vote opposed providing citizens the ability to initiate ballot questions, propose enactment and repeal of ordinances by majority vote. |
Election results
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Burlington Question 8 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 4,787 | 47.15% | ||
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5,366 | 52.85% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 8 was as follows:
| “ | Shall the Burlington City Charter, Acts of 1949, No 298, as amended be further amended to grant voters the powers to initiate ballot questions, propose enactment and repeal of ordinances by majority vote? Powers of The People - General Authority for initiative and referendum (a) Advisory Question. The qualified voters of the City shall have power to gauge public sentiment through nonbinding question relating to domestic, regional, statewide, national, or international concerns, whether constituting the "business to be transacted" at any election or not. (b) Binding Initiative. The qualified voters of the City shall have the power to propose, for any lawful purpose, binding ordinances to the Council and, if the Council fails to adopt an ordinance so proposed without any change in substance, to adopt or reject it at a city election. (c) Referendum. The qualified voters of the City shall have power to require reconsideration by the Council of any adopted ordinance and, if the Council fails to repeal an ordinance so reconsidered, to approve or reject it at a City election. - Petitions (a) Number of signatures. Petitions for ballot initiatives, referendums and questions must be signed by at least five percent of the legal voters of the city. (b) Form and content. In addition to State requirements in 17 V.S.A. § 2642, petition for inclusion in the warning of an article to reflect public sentiment shall clearly state to be advisory only. Petition for inclusion in the warning of an article to adopt or repeal an ordinance shall clearly state that it is to be binding. (c) Time for filing referendum petitions. Referendum petitions must be filed within 45 days after adoption by the Council of the ordinance sought to be reconsidered. (d) No alteration of substance. The City Attorney is authorized, subject to approval of the Council, to correct such proposal to enact ordinances so as to avoid repetitions, illegalities, and unconstitutional provisions and to ensure accuracy in its text and references and clearness and precision in its phraseology, but he or she shall not materially change its meaning and effect. - Action on petitions (a) Action by Council. When an initiative or referendum petition has been finally determined sufficient, the Council shall promptly consider the proposed initiative ordinance in the manner provided in this Article or reconsider the referred ordinance by voting its repeal. If the Council fails to adopt a proposed initiative ordinance without any change in substance within 60 days or fails to repeal the referred ordinance within 30 days after the date the petition was finally determined sufficient, it shall submit the proposed or referred ordinance to the voters of the City. (b) Submission to voters. The vote of the City on a proposed or referred ordinance shall be held during the next annual meeting, primary or general election or in a special meeting 30 days from the date of the final Council vote thereon. Copies of the proposed or referred ordinance shall be made available at the polls. - Results of election (a) Initiative. If a majority of the qualified voters voting on a proposed initiative ordinance vote in its favor, it shall be considered adopted upon certification of the election results and shall be treated in all respects in the same manner as ordinances of the same kind adopted by the Council. If conflicting ordinances are approved at the same election, the one receiving the greatest number of affirmative votes shall prevail to the extent of such conflict. (b) Referendum. If a majority of the qualified voters voting on a referred ordinance vote against it, it shall be considered repealed upon certification of the election results. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a successful citizen petition.
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.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Vermont State Legislature, “17 V.S.A. § 2561,” accessed April 20, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Vermont Secretary of State, "Voter Registration," accessed April 20, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Vermont Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed April 20, 2023
- ↑ City of Burlington, Vermont, "City of Burlington All Legal Resident Voter Registration Form," accessed November 14, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Election Day FAQs," accessed April 20, 2023
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