VERNON — Vermont Bill H.386 - which reduces the Vermont Constitutional requirements of the voting age in Brattleboro - is now law.
So we ask: Will Brattleboro elected officials enable Vermont's lawless lawmakers?
We especially direct this question to Hilary Francis. As the town clerk, she is the main person who is responsible to organize and preside over elections. Will she keep her oath of office to uphold the Vermont Constitution as the foundational and supreme law of Vermont? Or will she enable the lawlessness of the Vermont lawmakers who are betraying their constituents and ignoring their oaths of office?
We are also directing this same important question to the present Brattleboro Selectboard members, Ian Goodnow, Peter Case, Franz Reichsman, Daniel Quipp, and Elizabeth McLoughlin. As the elected leaders of the town of Brattleboro, will you keep your oaths of office? Or will you enable the tyrannical, lawless law?
Vermont voters elect persons at all levels of government to serve their best interests as Vermont taxpayers, voters, and citizens. They expect their elected representatives will act to protect their individual and unalienable freedoms, rights, and privileges.
* * *
Being a United States citizen and attaining the age of 18 years are the requirements declared in both the Vermont and United States Constitutions. These requirements cannot be changed by tyrannical legislators who abuse their authority by handing down an illicit act from the state legislature.
A legal change of the voting age requires following the process to amend either document. This law is an illegal end run around both. Vermont voters would need to be engaged and participate if the legal process was rightly followed.
The Vermont legislators who supported this law are counting on those in other elected government positions to silently and submissively accept their wielding of false authority.
Voters and taxpayers should be asking: How did such a blatantly unconstitutional bill such as H.386 get past the Vermont Legislative Counsel's office staff, who are paid with our state tax dollars? Many of us who follow Vermont Legislative activities and bills have asked this same question many times previously.
* * *
Every elected official in Vermont is required to take an oath or affirmation of allegiance. The required oaths of office taken by all those elected in our state are part of the Vermont Constitution.
We have many Vermont legislators who act in opposition to their oaths of office as they ignore and usurp our Constitutions. Rather than serving their constituents' best interests, they have become arrogant and power-hungry, tyrants. In their lack of self-awareness and hypocrisy, they are some of the first to cry "treason and insurrection" about others while many of their own lawless actions are eroding our government foundations.
If locally elected officials in Brattleboro choose to accept and enable the Vermont Legislature's usurpation of our Constitutions, their actions will also be in opposition to their oaths of office. Rather than enabling lawlessness, they should think about their duties. They are elected to serve the best interests of the people of Brattleboro - their constituents. They serve and are legally accountable to "the people."
According to Vermont statute, "a person whom an oath is required by law, who willfully swears falsely in regard to any matter or thing respecting which such oath is required, shall be guilty of perjury."
If elected officials blatantly break their oaths of office, can they be charged with the crime of perjury? If convicted of this crime, they can be imprisoned up to 15 years and fined up to $10,000, or both.
* * *
Brattleboro officials can choose to courageously adhere to our foundational laws as they agreed to do in taking their Oaths of Office. They can choose to reject this lawless bill by refusing to enact its illegal directives.
If the voters of Brattleboro want to change the Vermont Constitution's voting requirements, Brattleboro officials can choose to be ethical leaders and lead voters through the legal and right process.
We hope that Brattleboro elected officials have an awareness of the extremely important function of our Vermont and United States Constitutions as the supreme law and foundations of our governments. We hope they will choose to honor their oaths of office.
To all the voters of Vermont and especially Brattleboro: Article 6 of our Vermont Constitution says that "all power being originally inherent in and consequently derived from the people, therefore, all officers of the government, whether legislative or executive, are their trustees and servants; and at all times, in a legal way, accountable to them."
Don't allow the further erosion of our Constitutional freedoms. Hold all your elected officials legally accountable!
Remember: Tyrants claim freedom to kill freedom, yet they keep freedom for themselves.