Protecting our Democracy

I have not forgotten the generations before me that have fought and died to secure my right to vote. Their sacrifices have made my life possible, and they fuel me to continue the hard work of building a truly inclusive democracy.

Vermont has a proud tradition of participatory democracy and, in the Vermont State Senate, I have worked to expand access to the ballot box. We’ve passed universal vote-by-mail so that every voter automatically receives a ballot. We’ve advanced Ranked Choice Voting, a critical democratic reform that increases participation among female candidates and candidates of color. And, we’ve extended the right to vote to all noncitizens in local elections, allowing more Vermonters to participate in decisions impacting their local communities,

We need to send a fighter to Washington who will actively defend our right to vote. I will be that fighter: proudly co-sponsoring the For the People Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and supporting an end to the filibuster to get these vital reforms passed.

Voting Rights

The right to vote is under attack. And Black, Indigenous, and communities of color are experiencing the most harm. We must secure and ensure the right to vote for all, including incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, young people, disabled people, and immigrants.

I support immediately restoring the Voting Rights Act, and passing legislation to overturn racist voter ID policies, stop unnecessary voter purges, expand access to mail-in ballots and early voting, and make voting easier for all Americans. In addition, we must ensure everyone is fully represented in our government, regardless of geography. I also support statehood for the District of Columbia and self-determination for Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories.

Fair & Free Elections

Elections must also be free from interference or election subversion. This is critical to ensuring trust in our democratic systems. We must provide more resources to upgrade our election infrastructure and support our local election administrators in safeguarding an accurate ballot count. In addition, we must create a federal standard that prevents partisan politicians from interfering in election administration or the counting of the ballots. In addition to securing our election systems, we must put an end to dark money in politics.

I am proud to not take any corporate PAC money or contributions from fossil fuel companies and executives in this race. We must level the playing field across the board so our government is responsive to people not corporations. 

Gerrymandering & Redistricting

No matter what we look like or who we vote for, most of us believe that our elected leaders should reflect the very best of America and govern for all of us, no exceptions. 

But today, certain politicians and the greedy few have rigged the rules to silence our voices and hold onto power. They fuel divisions hoping we’ll blame new immigrants, Black people, or people struggling to make ends meet instead of the policies that caused the damage. Racial and partisan gerrymandering prevents communities, and especially communities of color, from having their voices heard in our government. We can defeat their attempts to undo the will of the people. 

We must create a federal standard for redistricting that ensures communities are kept intact so the people’s power is not diluted. Additionally, I support the creation of independent state redistricting committees that pursue non-partisan redistricting.