Vermont polls see steady stream of Primary voters

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Despite the dog days of August and the increasing use of mail-in voting, a number of Vermonters hit the polls to cast their votes in Tuesday’s primary election.

For some Vermonters, it’s a no-brainer. “I have never missed an election,” said Paula Johnson of St. Albans.

For others, like Gianna Morin of South Burlington, it’s a new experience. “I’m a first-time voter, which is exciting,” Morin said.

Dozens of seats were up for grabs at the local, state, and federal levels on Tuesday’s primary election.

“I think things need to be changed in this country and I wanted to make sure I got a vote in,” said Clifford Dutra, a South Burlington voter.

Politicians have been on the campaign trail for months and some Vermonters say hearing from the candidates helped motivate them to vote. “The contact by phone over the last few months by text message was a good incentive because I’m a working mom and it’s hard to get to the polls,” said Bridget Kimsey of South Burlington.

Some voters, like Brattleboro’s Humberto Ramirez, say it was about supporting the issues that matter to them. “The recent Supreme Court ruling regarding Roe vs. Wade, the environment, sustainability, immigration -- those are all huge issues that are on the table this time around,” Ramirez said.

It’s also a time for Vermonters to support their party and pick who will represent them in November. “It’s really important for me, particularly at this time with the climate of the county -- I want to make sure we get as many conservatives and Republicans in office as possible,” said Brenda Donahue of Barre.

This year’s election comes at a historic time. With Senator Patrick Leahy retiring and Representative Peter Welch hoping to replace him, Vermont has an open House and Senate seat for the first time since 2007.

“The congressional election -- that really matters to me. That was the one that brought me out,” said Scott Funk of Barre.

“For the U..S. Senate, because this is a once in a generation, as they’ve been saying on television,” said Barre’s Margaret Ferguson.

Vermont elections officials say they had received over 42,000 absentee ballots as of Monday and that they had no official estimates of how many Vermonters cast their ballots Tuesday.

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