Vermont Votes

IN DEPTH. GOOD SUNDAY MORNING. IM JACK THURSTON, AND THIS IS NBC5 IN DEPTH. MARCH IS WOMENS HISTORY MONTH. SO TODAY WERE SPOTLIGHTING AN ORGANIZATION THAT WORKS TO ADVANCE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN VERMONT. EMERGE VERMONT RECRUITS AND TRAINS WOMEN WHO WANT TO RUN FOR OFFICE AS DEMOCRATS. BACK IN NOVEMBER OF 2022, 59 WOMEN TRAINED BY EMERGE WERE ON GENERAL ELECTION BALLOTS, AND MORE THAN 80% OF THEM WON, INCLUDING CONGRESS WOMAN BECCA BALINT. VERMONTS FIRST WOMAN TO SERVE IN CONGRESS. THE VERMONT LEGISLATURE IS ALSO NOW 45% WOMEN, THE HIGHEST ITS EVER BEEN. BUT THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF EMERGE VERMONT SAYS THERE IS MORE WORK TO DO IN WOMENS HISTORY MONTH AND BEYOND. WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN TERMS OF LEADERSHIP AND NORMALIZING WOMEN IN IMPORTANT ROLES THROUGHOUT ALL SORTS OF INDUSTRIES AND PARTS OF LIFE, BUT WE STILL HAVE A REALLY LONG WAY TO GO, PARTICULARLY IN POLITICS. WE ALL CELEBRATED WHEN KAMALA HARRIS BECAME OUR FIRST WOMAN VICE PRESIDENT. IT WAS INCREDIBLY EXCITING TO SEE, BUT SHES AN ANOMALY AT THIS POINT, AND ITS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO REMEMBER THAT, YES, WE SEE WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP NOW, BUT BUT THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH. IT IS NOT AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP, ESPECIALLY IN VARIOUS THIS TRADITIONALLY MALE DOMINATED FIELDS. THE FOUNDER OF THE VERMONT AFFILIATE OF EMERGE. GOVERNOR KUNIN, IS VERMONTS ONE. AND UP UNTIL NOW, AT LEAST, ONLY FEMALE GOVERNOR. WHEN SHE STARTED THIS AFFILIATE, WHAT WAS HER GOAL? GOVERNOR KUNIN HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO EMPOWER WOMEN TO BE LEADERS AND TO SEE MORE WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT. I DONT THINK SHES THE PERSON WHO COINED THIS PHRASE, BUT SHE USES IT OFTEN, WHICH IS IF YOURE NOT AT THE TABLE, YOURE ON THE MENU AND ITS A FUNNY PHRASE, BUT ITS TRUE. IF YOU ARE NOT AT THE TABLE WHERE DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE ABOUT THINGS THAT AFFECT YOUR DAILY LIFE, THEN THOSE DECISIONS. MAY IMPACT YOUR DAILY LIFE IN A BAD WAY. SO ITS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE PARTS OF TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES TO BE AT THE TABLE AND WHEN I SAY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, I DONT MEAN JUST WOMEN. I ALSO MEAN PEOPLE OF COLOR, LGBTQ PEOPLE, PEOPLE WHO ARE DISABLED, PEOPLE WHO ARE HOUSELESS. THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE NOT AT THE TABLE WHERE IMPORTANT DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE. AND THATS WHAT WE MEAN BY EQUAL REPRESENTATION AND WHAT ARE THE KINDS OF TOPICS THAT EACH OF YOUR COHORTS. WORKS ON AS THEY MAYBE PLAN HOW TO IMPROVE THEIR LEVEL OF OF PARTICIPATION IN THE POLITICAL SPHERE? WELL, WERE PRIMARILY TARGETED AT PEOPLE TRAINING WOMEN. HOW TO RUN FOR OFFICE. SO FOR MANY PEOPLE, CAMPAIGNING IS A MYSTERY. AND SO WE WANT TO GIVE WOMEN THE SKILLS AND THE KEYS TO UNLOCKING THAT MYSTERY. AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT CAMPAIGNING, ITS REALLY A BIG PROJECT. AND AND THE BEST PROJECT MANAGERS I KNOW ARE ALL WOMEN. AND SO UNLOCKING THAT MYSTERY ABOUT HOW TO RUN FOR OFFICE AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS BASICALLY THE NUTS AND BOLTS, HOW TO BUILD YOUR VOLUNTEER TEAM, HOW TO DEPLOY YOUR VOLUNTEER TEAM, HOW TO SPEAK EFFECTIVELY AND DEVELOP A STRONG MESSAGE, HOW TO FUNDRAISE, HOW TO GET ENDORSEMENTS, ALL THOSE VERY TECHNICAL THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO RUN A STRONG CAMPAIGN. BUT WE ALSO START OFF OUR TRAINING WITH A LOT OF SELF REFLECTION. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IN OUR CLASS IS IDENTIFYING THEIR VALUES AND WORKING FROM A SPOT WHERE THEIR VALUES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT, BECAUSE VOTERS WILL ALWAYS RESPOND TO SOMEONE WITH SIMILAR VALUES. TO THEIRS. AND ITS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO IDENTIFY WHATS MOST IMPORTANT AND USE THAT AS A TOUCHSTONE, AS WE RUN OUR CAMPAIGNS. NOW, SOME OF YOUR ALUMS ARE VERY, VERY VISIBLE IN VERMONT POLITICS. I THINK PERHAPS MOST KNOWN OF ALL, CONGRESSWOMAN BECCA BALINT, ALSO ATTORNEY GENERAL, CHARITY CLARK, SECRETARY OF STATE SARAH COPELAND, HANZAS, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE JILL KRASINSKI. THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. YET ITS REALLY IMPORTANT. I SUSPECT, FOR ORGANIZATIONS LIKE YOURS TO. BUILD A BENCH, YOURE NOT ONLY INTERESTED IN WOMEN WHO WANT TO RUN FOR STATEWIDE OFFICE, YOU YOU WANT TO SUPPORT THE ASPIRATIONS OF WOMEN WHO WANT TO RUN FOR SELECT BOARD OR CITY COUNCIL, OR A DISTRICT. IN THE LEGISLATURE. TALK ABOUT BUILDING A BENCH. A PIPELINE IS VERY IMPORTANT, AND NOBODY KNOWS THEIR COMMUNITY BETTER THAN A SELECT BOARD MEMBER, A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY AT THAT. VERY LOCAL LEVEL. SO WE ARE VERY INTERESTED IN IDENTIFYING AND HELPING TO TRAIN WOMEN WHO ARE INTERESTED IN RUNNING FOR SELECT BOARD AND SCHOOL BOARD. THAT WAY THEY CAN BE AT THE TABLE OF LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND THEN WHEN THEYRE READY, THEY CAN MOVE ON TO A LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT. THEY CAN MOVE ON AFTER THAT TO STATEWIDE, ACCORDING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONTS CENTER FOR RURAL. STUDIES, ONLY A THIRD OF SELECT BOARD MEMBERS IN VERMONT ARE WOMEN. AND THATS NOT ENOUGH. UM, THE SELECT BOARD IS THE PLACE WHERE THE DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE THAT REALLY IMPACT EVERY VERMONTERS LIFE ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS. AND THATS WHERE YOU WANT TO HAVE THE MOST IMPACT. AND AND ONCE YOUVE LEARNED ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY, ONCE YOUVE LEARNED HOW YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORKS, YOURE THAT MUCH MORE ABLE TO. DO THAT WORK AT A HIGHER LEVEL FOR A LARGER DISTRICT. SO ITS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US TO HAVE MORE WOMEN ON THESE BOARDS ALSO, BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ISSUES THAT ARE AFFECTING WOMEN, CHILDREN, FAMILIES, YOU KNOW, WE THINK ABOUT SELECT BOARDS AS LIKE THEYRE IN CHARGE OF THE PLOWS AND THE PAVING, BUT THEYRE ALSO IN CHARGE OF OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS LIKE LIBRARIES. AND THE DAY TO DAY WORKINGS OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS. EVERYTHING IS SELECT BOARD, AND A SCHOOL BOARD DOES TOUCHES OUR FAMILIES. SO MORE WOMEN ON THOSE BOARDS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. WHAT ARE THE PERHAPS BIGGEST OBSTACLES THAT REMAIN IN 2024? FOR A WOMAN WHO WANTS TO RUN FOR OFFICE, WHETHER ITS AT THE LOCAL OR STATE LEVEL OR, YOU KNOW, EVEN BEYOND STATE LEVEL, THERE ARE QUITE A FEW BARRIERS. SOME OF THEM ARE CAREER RELATED. WOMEN WORK MORE PART TIME JOBS, EVENING. JOBS. SOME OF THEM ARE FAMILY RELATED. THEY HAVE CHILDREN, LOTS OF LOCAL MEETINGS ARE. AT 6:00 OR 630 WHEN THEYRE PUTTING THEIR KIDS TO BED OR THEYRE MAKING DINNER FOR THEIR FAMILIES. UM, AND THE TIME ALSO INVOLVED IN BEING A LOCAL OFFICIAL HAS. INCREASED OVER THE YEARS. ITS IVE BEEN A LOCAL OFFICIAL FOR MANY YEARS, AND I DEFINITELY SPEND MORE TIME NOW THAN I DID IN THE PAST, WORKING ON MY COMMUNITIES WORK. UM, ALSO. YOU KNOW, RUNNING FOR HIGHER OFFICE LIKE A LEGISLATIVE SEAT OR HIGHER. THE FUNDRAISING. IS SOMETIMES A CONCERN BECAUSE WOMENS. NETWORKS, IN TERMS OF FINANCES, ARE NOT NECESSARILY AS BIG AS MENS. AND WE TRAIN WOMEN TO. TO EXPLORE THEIR NETWORKS IN A WAY THAT HELPS THEM REALIZE THAT THEY ACTUALLY DO HAVE A WIDE NETWORK THAT CAN HELP THEM FUNDRAISE. UM, SO THOSE ARE KINDS OF THE BARRIERS THAT WOMEN EXPERIENCE. THERES ALSO, UM, WHAT I WOULD CALL A CONFIDENCE GAP. UM, THERES A JOKE ABOUT A WOMAN IS ASKED TO RUN FOR OFFICE AND SHE SAYS, WELL, I THINK I NEED TO GET SOME KIND OF DEGREE FIRST OR IM REALLY NOT PREPARED TO RUN FOR OFFICE. BUT A MAN WILL GET UP IN THE MORNING AND LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND SAY, I THINK I SHOULD RUN FOR SENATE. I THINK THATS A GREAT IDEA. AND AND WOMEN ALWAYS TEND TO FEEL LIKE THEYRE UNDERPREPARED. BARNARD. AND SO ITS IMPORTANT TO MAKE WOMEN UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT THEY BRING TO THE TABLE AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME IS, IS ENOUGH, AND THAT NO PERSON WHO GETS ELECTED KNOWS EVERYTHING. AND THERES ALWAYS A LEARNING CURVE, AND THEY ARE BRINGING THEIR LIFE EXPERIENCE TO THE TABLE. AND THATS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY OTHER FORMAL EDUCATION THEY MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN AROUND. POLITICS. I RECOGNIZE THAT EMERGE VERMONT IS, OF COURSE, ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. BUT I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT BIPARTISANSHIP. I HAVE HEARD IT SAID FROM TWO NONPARTISAN ORGANIZATIONS, THE VERMONT COMMISSION ON WOMEN AND THE BARBARA LEE FAMILY FOUNDATION. BOTH OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TOLD ME IN THE PAST THAT WHEN WOMEN SERVE IN OFFICE, THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO SERVE IN A BYPASS WAY. THEYRE MORE LIKELY TO REACH ACROSS THE AISLE. DO YOU SUBSCRIBE TO. THAT BELIEF? I ABSOLUTELY DO, AND IVE SEEN IT IN ACTION. WOMEN ARE MORE INCLINED TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY, AND THEY ARE GENERALLY MORE. FOCUSED ON THE RESULT. AND SO BRINGING AS MANY PEOPLE ON BOARD TO MAKE A RESULT HAPPEN IS WHAT WOMEN TEND TO DO. THE BIPARTISANSHIP IS A NATURAL PIECE OF THAT. YOURE GOING TO REACH ACROSS THE AISLE IF YOU KNOW THERES A LEGISLATOR WHO AGREES WITH YOU ON A PARTICULAR OUTCOME, THAT YOURE ALL LOOKING FOR TOGETHER, THERE HAVE BEEN STUDIES DONE AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL THAT SHOW THAT CONGRESS WOMEN ARE FAR MORE LIKELY TO HAVE MORE CO-SPONSORS TO THEIR BILLS, AND THAT THEIR BILLS ARE FAR MORE LIKELY TO BECOME ACTUAL LAW THAN MEN LEGISLATORS IN CONGRESS. SO ITS REALLY A FACTOR OF THE ABILITY TO COLLABORATE WELL, THE ABILITY TO TAKE A BROADER VIEW AND TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONES AT THE TABLE. THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN MAJORITY OR ENTIRELY RUN BY MEN. AND SO THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO SAY, WELL, WE NEED TO GET 100% WOMEN IN CHARGE. JUST. TO SEE WHAT ITS LIKE TO SEE THAT ITS DIFFERENT. THATS NOT LIKELY. BUT 50%, 60%, THERE ARE 51% OF THE US POPULATION IS WOMEN. SO IF YOU REALLY WANT TO BE TRULY REPRESENTATIVE, THEN PERHAPS THE SAME PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN YOUR POPULATION IS THE PERCENTAGE THAT SHOULD BE IN LEADERSHIP THAT FEELS ACCURATE TO ME. VERMONT IS, LIKE YOU SAID, 45% WOMEN IN THE LEGISLATURE. ITS THE HIGHEST WEVE EVER BEEN. AND WERE NUMBER FIVE IN THE COUNTRY. ACCORDING TO THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN WOMEN AND POLITICS AT RUTGERS UNIVERSITY. AND WE ARE BEHIND STATES LIKE NEVADA, WHICH IS 64%. I BELIEVE, A VERY HIGH NUMBER. SO I HAVE BIG GOALS, LOTS OF WOMEN TRAINING AND GETTING THEM INTO THE LEGISLATURE. BUT ITS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO REMEMBER THAT THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT WE ARE SEEING MORE WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP, THEYRE HAPPENING IN. THE LAST 10 TO 15 YEARS. I DID SOME RESEARCH WHEN THE BURLINGTON MAYORAL RACE HAPPENED AND EMMA MULVANEY STANEK MADE HISTORY AS THE FIRST WOMAN AND FIRST QUEER PERSON TO BE ELECTED. BURLINGTON MAYOR AND TURNS OUT WEVE ONLY HAD TEN WOMEN MAYORS IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF VERMONT, AND ONLY TWO OF THEM WERE IN THE 20TH CENTURY. EVERYONE ELSE HAPPENED AFTER 2000, SO WE JUST HAVE. SUCH A LONG WAY TO GO HERE IN VERMONT TO BRING EQUITY AND FAIR REPRESENTATION TO OUR GOVERNING BOARDS AT EVERY LEVEL. ELAINE HANEY WITH EMERGE VERMONT