Voters in Vermont can start weighing in on their choices for the general election starting tomorrow.
Secretary of State Jim Condos this week said early voting officially opens on Friday, meaning registered voters can request a ballot from their town clerks and cast a vote.
Only registered voters can seek a ballot ahead of time; voters have until Nov. 2 to register to be eligible to vote on Nov. 8.
“We recognize that many Vermonters have busy schedules and may not be able to take time away from work or their families to vote on November 8th. Early voting ensures these people are not left out of the democratic process by giving them more opportunities to cast their vote,” Condos said in a statement.
(New Hampshire has stricter absentee voting rules; Oct. 29 is the last day to register prior to election day, but would-be voters can also register on Nov. 8.)
Vermonters have a lot of choices on their hands. Besides the race for the White House, there’s an open gubernatorial election pitting Democrat Sue Minter against Republican Phil Scott; an open race for attorney general between Democrat T.J. Donovan and Republican Deb Bucknam; a lieutenant governor’s race between Democrat David Zuckerman and Republican Randy Brock; and a U.S. Senate contest pitting Republican Scott Milne against longtime Democratic incumbent Patrick Leahy, among other races.
U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., faces no major party opposition, just Liberty Union candidate Erica Clawson of the Northeast Kingdom. In the Upper Valley, some Orange County voters have familiar contests. State Sen. Mark MacDonald, D-Williamstown, is being challenged by Randolph Republican Stephen Webster in a repeat contest. Webster is a former Senate president pro tempore. And in the Windsor-Orange 1 House district, state Rep. Sarah Buxton, D-Tunbridge, again is facing off against former state Rep. David Ainsworth, R-Royalton.
Windsor County Republicans are also fielding a full slate of candidates in a bid to end Democrats’ long hold on the county’s three seats in the Vermont Senate. Republicans Mark Donka of Hartford, Randy Gray of Springfield, and Jack Williams of Weathersfield are running against state Sens. Dick McCormack, D-Bethel, and Alice Nitka, D-Ludlow, and state Rep. Alison Clarkson, D-Woodstock. Scott Woodward of Pomfret is also running as an independent.
Milne, the Pomfret Republican, is again relying on help from his two children as he challenges Leahy, who has served in the Senate for 41 years.
Elise Milne, 27, a recent Vermont Law School graduate who just passed the bar, is serving as Milne’s campaign manager, while Keith Milne, 29, who works for Sirius Capital Markets in Hanover, is helping on weekends and may take some vacation time closer to the election, their father said Wednesday. Both children worked on their father’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign, and moved back to the Upper Valley then.
“My joke I tell is, based on my experience, if everybody (with children out of state) ran for governor it would make major strides toward addressing our demographic problem,” Scott Milne said.
Unlike the presidential race, where three Trump children are playing major roles in their father’s campaign, the Milnes actually are carrying out a family tradition. Scott Milne recalls knocking on doors to help his parents, who were both state legislators. With Milne running a shoestring campaign — his campaign treasurer, sister Cathy Milne Frey, reported about $22,000 cash in hand in late July — the free family labor also helps.
“The whole circle of life thing is pretty great,” Milne said of his children’s campaigning for him. “On a bigger level, it’s great that my kids are putting personal … gains on hold to try to do something that they think is meaningful for America and Vermont. And they are both volunteering, which makes it easy on my budget.”
Elise and Keith Milne grew up in the Upper Valley and attended elementary school in Pomfret and middle school in Woodstock before heading on to Kimball Union Academy. Their mother, Deborah Milne, lives in Hartford. Scott Milne plans to attend a GOP candidates forum hosted by Hartford Republicans tonight at the Hotel Coolidge. For his part, Leahy on Wednesday was at work in Washington, tweeting out video that showed him reading lettes of concern from dairy farmers as he questioned Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack about falling dairy prices.
Etna Republican Jim Rubens, as he promised, is endorsing U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., as she faces a challenge from Gov. Maggie Hassan. But New Hampshire GOP officials didn’t give Rubens and his wife tickets to a unity breakfast last Wednesday, the day after Ayotte defeated him in a primary.
“The reason is I challenged a favored incumbent,” Rubens said. “They did not want (her record) discussed.”
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John Gregg can be reached at jgregg@vnews.com