REV UP Vermont

04/05/2026

Just as in 1977, the fight for voting rights for people with disabilities cannot be won alone. Accessible polling places, universal mail-in ballots for all elections, and assistance for voters are not just "disability issues"—they are fundamental to a healthy democracy. We need allies to stand with us to ensure that every citizen, regardless of ability, can exercise their right to vote without barriers.

Solidarity isn't just a sentiment; it's an action. We invite you to join us as at our next meeting:

When: This Thursday, April 9th at 6PM

Where: tinyurl.com/revupvermont

03/27/2026

“We can’t burn the place down because we don’t like what they do in terms of accessibility with their local elections, but we can offer them best practices.” -Vermont SOS Sarah Copeland-Hanzas

So... about those "best practices"?

The Vermont Secretary of State's Office abruptly cancelled the remaining legislative workgroup meetings without warning and submitted their version of a best practice report to the legislature.

Please take a moment to read the entire dissension letter from Disability Rights Vermont linked below.

***
"Suddenly, DRVT had reason to believe the SOS’s office and
representatives did not enter this Act 133 process in good faith. If that was their position all along, and they had no intention of making recommendations for significant changes, they should have led with that, instead of wasting all our time and energy.

DRVT believed that this Act 133 working group was going to make robust, fully conceived recommendations for real change that would guarantee inclusiveness. DRVT believed that the result
of all of this effort would be that disabled people would no longer be having their Constitutional, and ADA rights violated, and that at a very minimum we would be ensuring that from now on, all
Vermonters with disabilities would be able to participate in meetings of local public bodies, annual municipal meetings, and local elections.

But we are concluding this process with weak
recommendations, vague best practices, and no assurances that Vermont will stop violating the rights of people with disabilities. This process fell far short to ensure universal access for all disenfranchised voters."

03/21/2026

Many disabled people are denied the right to vote in Vermont. They are denied the right to vote- in violation of state of federal laws- on the basis of their disability. (This is currently happening in 68% of towns.)

The Vermont Senate could have stopped this practice last week in the voting rights amendment they unanimously passed. But they chose not to.

Ask your state senator what their plans are to stop current voter suppression.

03/13/2026

Tonight’s inaugural coalition meeting was an incredible launch for REV UP Vermont, leaving us energized and hopeful for genuine change. Gathering for our first session on March 12th—the anniversary of the historic Capitol Crawl—felt like a profound alignment of history and purpose.

Thirty-six years ago, activists left their wheelchairs behind to climb the 83 marble steps of the U.S. Capitol on their hands and knees, "crawling into history" to demand their civil rights. They proved that no barrier is too high when we move together. Just as those advocates reclaimed their power in 1990 to secure the ADA as a foundation for equality, we are here to build upon that floor and ensure every Vermonter can claim their power at the polls.

Meet the protesters who crawled their way into history—and changed how all Americans live.

03/09/2026

“…in real life our beloved, much-mythologized Town Meeting seems to have a problem when it comes to accommodating disabilities….despite all our high-falutin rhetoric about this wellspring of democracy and embodiment of Vermont exceptionalism.

…Seems a bit contradictory to the fundamental conceit of Town Meeting — that everyone in the community can have a voice in local governance.”

This obscure board game sure seems to hold out the promise of nonstop, pulse-pounding action, does it not? Description found online: You roll dice and move your pawn along a path through the town. …

03/05/2026

Voter suppression is bad and we must keep it from getting worse.

And we must remember and call out that it is already happening here in Vermont!

***
"...although new restrictions would harm the community, disabled Vermonters already face significant voter suppression. In fact, the state ranks second-to-last in the nation for “the degree to which voters are deterred from voting because of disability or illness.”

“The amount of people participating in our democracy is going to shrink," one advocate said.

03/05/2026

Congrats to Benson, VT!

All of their 852 voters will now be able to vote in local elections moving forward!

Only the people in the room were allowed to vote to include those who were excluded.

This was passed by an in-person vote of 50 for, and 36 against.

03/05/2026

Congratulations to Sunderland!

On a floor vote of 26-25, all voters will now be able to vote in local elections moving forward.

SUNDERLAND — At Town Meeting this March, Sunderland voters will be asked whether all future matters should be decided by Australian Ballot, a question prompted by years of low voter

03/03/2026

Vermonters around the state are being denied the right to vote.
But it doesn't have to be this way.
Join us to create the change that's needed.
That all Vermonters deserve.
https://tinyurl.com/REVUPVT

03/03/2026

Our Secretary of State said what now?!

“It's a really heartbreaking example of who gets left behind in systems that are not built for everyone.”

03/03/2026

Dear Vermont Friends,

It’s Town Meeting Day today.

Another year where we tell people to make their voice count in our quaint tradition, and leave out the part that many disabled people are actively being denied that right here in Vermont.

This is at odds with Vermont human and civil rights laws, our constitution, and the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

We are asking you not to ignore this in your messaging today when it comes to who can and cannot vote in this state.

Below are a press release and two articles that just came out that shares more about this issue:

-REV UP Vermont Press Release: https://tinyurl.com/REVUPVT

-Mother Jones article: https://tinyurl.com/MotherJonesVT

-Democracy Docket article: https://tinyurl.com/DemDocket

This issue of voter suppression impacts countless Vermonters in 68 percent of towns across the state.

Please don't be silent about these impacts when you do your videos, messages, speeches, social media shares, and emails today.

Freedom and Unity means that we strive to do better. And that starts with naming the truth.

Maria, Alicia, Kate, Laura
REV UP Vermont Co-Leaders