Vt. Supreme Court upholds Montpelier noncitizen voting

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - The Vermont Supreme Court says noncitizens in Montpelier can vote in local elections.

The state’s highest court issued a decision Friday, upholding a judge’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit that claimed the capital city’s 2018 charter change that allowed noncitizens to vote in local elections was unconstitutional.

The court ruled that the charter change does not violate the Vermont constitution, because while it does restrict voting in statewide contests to U.S. citizens, it does not address local elections.

The Vermont Legislature gave the green light to two charter changes in Montpelier and Winooski in 2021 allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections and on school budgets. The Republican National Committee sued the two towns.