Vermont H. 314: An act relating to symptom relief for Alzheimer's disease

Bill Text

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H.314 1
Introduced by Representatives Sibilia of Dover and Logan of Burlington 2
Referred to Committee on 3
Date: 4
Subject: Elections; primaries 5
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to require 6
nonpartisan primary elections in which the four candidates receiving the most 7
votes shall be placed on the ballot for the succeeding general election. 8
An act relating to a top-four nonpartisan primary election system 9
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 10
* * * Short Title * * * 11
Sec. 1. SHORT TITLE 12
This act may be cited as the “People over Party Provision for Vermont’s 13
Primary Elections Act of 2025.” 14
* * * Provisions for Primary Elections * * * 15
Sec. 2. 17 V.S.A. chapter 49 is amended to read: 16
CHAPTER 49. NOMINATIONS PRIMARY ELECTIONS 17
Subchapter 1. Primary Elections 18
§ 2351. PROVISIONS FOR PRIMARY ELECTION 19

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A primary election shall be held on the second Tuesday in August in each 1
even-numbered year for the nomination of candidates of major political parties 2
to narrow the number of candidates for all offices to be voted for at the 3
succeeding general election, except candidates for President and Vice 4
President of the United States, their electors, and justices of the peace. A 5
primary election does not serve to determine the nominee of a political party. 6
§ 2352. NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES PRIOR TO SPECIAL 7
PRIMARY ELECTION 8
When the Governor or any court, pursuant to law, orders a special election 9
to be held for any of the offices covered by section 2351 of this title, a special 10
primary election shall be held on the Tuesday that falls not less than 60 days 11
nor more than 66 days prior to the date set for the special election. The 12
nomination of candidates prior to a special election, including nomination both 13
by primary and by other means, shall be governed by the rules applicable to 14
nomination of candidates prior to the general election, except as may be 15
specifically provided in this chapter. The term “general election,” as used in 16
this chapter, shall be deemed to include a special election, unless the context 17
requires a different interpretation. 18
§ 2353. PETITIONS TO PLACE NAMES ON BALLOT 19
(a) The name of any person shall be printed upon the primary ballot as a 20
candidate for nomination by any major political party for the office indicated, 21
if a petition containing the requisite number of signatures made by registered 22

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voters, in substantially the following form, is filed with the proper official, 1
together with the person’s written consent to having his or her the person’s 2
name printed on the ballot: 3
I join in a petition to place on the primary ballot of the ....................... party the 4
name of ...................., whose residence is in the (city), (town) of ...................... 5
in the county of ......................, for the office of ...................... to be voted for 6
on Tuesday, the ............... day of August, 20 ........; and I certify that I am at the 7
present time a registered voter and am qualified to vote for a candidate for this 8
office. 9
(b)(1) A person’s name shall not be listed as a candidate on the primary 10
ballot of more than one party in the same election. [Repealed.] 11
(2) A single petition shall contain only one office for which a person 12
seeks to be a candidate. 13
(3) A person shall file a separate petition for each office for which he or 14
she a person seeks to be a candidate. 15
§ 2354. SIGNING PETITIONS 16
(a) Any number of voters may sign the same petition. 17
(b)(1) A voter’s signature shall not be valid unless at the time he or she the 18
voter signs, the voter is registered and qualified to vote for the candidate whose 19
petition he or she the voter signs. 20
(2) Each voter shall indicate he or she the voter’s town of residence next 21
to his or her signature. 22

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(c) The signature of a voter on a candidate’s petition does not necessarily 1
indicate that the voter supports the candidate. 2
(d) A petition shall contain the name of only one candidate. 3
§ 2355. NUMBER OF SIGNATURES REQUIRED 4
The number of signatures on primary petitions shall be not less than: 5
(1) for State and congressional officers, 500; 6
(2) for county officers or State senator, 100; and 7
(3) for Representative to the General Assembly, 50; and 8
(4) for justice of the peace, 30 or one percent of the legal voters of the 9
municipality, whichever is less. 10
§ 2356. TIME FOR FILING PETITIONS 11
(a) Primary petitions for major party candidates shall be filed not earlier 12
than the fourth Monday in April and not later than 5:00 p.m. on the fourth 13
Thursday after the first Monday in May preceding t