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Table of Contents
Townhall-style Direct Democracy for Burlington
Our state's cherished tradition of grassroots decision-making is reflected in the charter documents of most Vermont municipalities, which provide for one or more forms of direct democracy. Proposition Zero is an amendment to Burlington's municipal charter consisting of a “Powers of the People” section similar to those found in Vermont's other cities' and towns'.
The Right to Have a Say
Proposition Zero enshrines the right of the people to directly participate in making communal decisions that impact their lives. It provides the mechanism for voters-backed petitions to put public questions on electoral ballot, and establishes three forms of direct democracy: binding initiatives, binding referendums and non-binding advisory questions.
What's Good for Vermont
Vermont's townhall democracy has a long history of providing regular, everyday Vermonters with the ability to directly participate in policy decisions and to address local issues through innovation and collaboration. Additionally, it provides necessary checks and balances in communal governance and a democratic mechanism to hold their public officials accountable.
Good for Burlington
Enshrining the people's right to participate in our city's charter and granting each individual voter the power to influence municipal decisions will bring Burlington in line with the rest of Vermont, increase participation and provide Burlingtonians the tools we need to address current and future challenges.
Petition
The proposed amendment's language is contained in the petition for charter amendment, which will require supporting signatures from at least 5% of Burlington voters. Our goal is to get Proposition Zero as a question on this year's General Election ballot in November. Please see the detailed timeline below.
Full text of the proposed amendment (opens in a popup)
Full text of the proposed amendment (standalone page)
Download full text + petition form as PDF (for printing)
Campaign Timeline
Proposition Zero Timeline
Volunteers will be at polling stations to talk to neighbors and get signatures supporting the petition. Our goal is to have at least 2000 signatures.
Another opportunity to meet the signatures threshold for November ballot inclusion
If majority voted YES, the amendment will be referred to the Vermont legislature. The bigger the margin of victory, the more likely it is to be approved in Montpelier.
Once approved by the legislature, the amendment will become law, and our partner organizations can start collecting petitions for further initiatives, referendums or advisories on Town Meeting Day 2027.
Binding initiatives and referendums, if passed, will have the same power as ordinances passed by City Council, providing us with an alternative process to pass policies, through majority rule.