As the election season comes to an end, we solicit your views on the candidates, issues and tone of this year’s campaigns. Also, VPR’s Tim Johnson offers a few observations on the most visible ‘signs’ of the election. And a UVM biologist extols the virtues of whale poop.
The
last 24 hours of a political campaign are a very hectic time. Candidates are holding rallies, firing up
their phone banks and organizing their get-out-the-vote efforts. But the last-minute efforts won’t have an impact on
roughly a quarter of all voters. That’s because they’ve already cast their
ballots.
Vermont will elect a new lieutenant governor this year, for the first
time in almost a decade. On Thursday, the three major party candidates for this
office will debate the issues and politics of the campaign, and answer
listener questions.
The
major party candidates for governor can’t agree on whether Vermont has a high property tax burden compared to other
states. You’d
think it might be easy to measure states against each other to figure out which
candidate’s claim is true. But there’s no simple comparison.
Vermont’s
attorney general says he found no violation of campaign finance law after
investigating a complaint against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Peter
Shumlin in connection with a news conference attended by members of the Vermont Troopers Association.
Peter
Shumlin and Brian Dubie are both highlighting their commitment to creating jobs
in the last week of the campaign. At
the same time, the attorney general’s office sued outside groups supporting the
candidates, claiming ads violated state laws.
This week, Vermont Edition talks with the leading contenders in the
governor’s race. On Monday, Bob Kinzel’s guest is Republican candidate Brian Dubie. Also in the program, independent U.S. Senate candidate Dan Freilich.