How Vermont Elects a Speaker: Laura Sibilia’s Campaign and Our Bipartisan History

Dear friends and neighbors,

I recently reached back out to my fellow members of the Vermont House to discuss the upcoming election for Speaker, where I am running as an independent candidate. In my second email, I shared insights into how the Speaker is elected, the role’s responsibilities, and Vermont’s history of bipartisan leadership. This election presents a rare opportunity for the members of the House to choose a Speaker who can work across party lines to tackle issues like affordability, housing, healthcare, and education, which impact all Vermonters. I wanted to share these details with you as we move toward the new legislative session.

The letter provided an overview of:

Speaker’s Formal Responsibilities: Defined by House Rules, including maintaining order, appointing committee members, and referring bills.
Speaker Election Process: Party caucuses nominate leadership in the months following the General Election, with the final Speaker elected by secret ballot on January 8, 2024.
Bipartisan History: Vermont’s record of electing Speakers from non-majority parties, highlighting her bid to represent a balanced, cooperative approach to governance.

Letter to members October 28th, 2024

“Dear Members,

Thank you for the guidance and support you’ve shared in recent months, and especially following my announcement that I am running for Speaker of the House.

It is clear that while we may not agree on every issue, we do share common ground on the most urgent concerns for Vermonters—affordability, property taxes, housing, and the future of our healthcare and education systems. These issues cut across party lines, and Vermonters are counting on us to come together with real solutions, and to communicate with them. It’s going to take all of us, working across the aisle, to meet these challenges.

During our visits and calls, many of you have raised questions regarding the voting process for Speaker of the House and the roles of both the Speaker and of party leaders. I want to take a moment to explain these procedures and roles. Understanding these steps is key to making informed decisions during your party caucuses and when we all come together to elect the next Speaker on the first day of the new biennium.

Formal Role of the Speaker (summarized from House Rules)

Order and Appeals: The Speaker is responsible for maintaining order in the House and has the authority to decide on questions of order. Their decisions are final unless a member appeals and a majority vote supports the appeal.
Committee Appointments: The Speaker has the authority to appoint all members to House committees and joint committees unless stated otherwise by the Constitution or statutes.
Bill referral: When members submit bills for consideration, the Speaker reads them to the House and refers them to the appropriate committee

Additional Role of the Speaker

Beyond the duties outlined in House Rules, an effective Speaker additionally ensures that the will of a majority of members is enacted to set policy that best serves the needs of Vermonters.

Voting Process for Speaker of the House

After the General Election, your party will hold public and private caucus meetings in November and December. At one of those meetings, you and your caucus members will select your party’s Majority/Minority Leader and other leadership roles for your caucus, and may also choose to nominate a candidate for Speaker of the House. Candidates who are not members of your party’s caucus, including Independents like myself, may also seek your party’s nomination. At this point, the Democratic caucus will likely nominate their incumbent Speaker for consideration in January.
On the first day of the new legislative session in January, the entire House will cast secret ballots to elect the Speaker. This election is not restricted by party; all members can vote for any candidate, regardless of the candidate’s political affiliation and regardless of whether the candidate was the nominee from their party’s caucus. This vote is an important opportunity for each of us to select the person we believe is best suited to lead the House in a balanced manner that prioritizes getting things done for all Vermonters.
Here is what will happen on the first day of the session, January 8, 2024, leading up to the Speaker election:
- Call to Order: The session is called to order by the Secretary of State at 10:00 a.m.
- Devotional: A devotional will be led by a designated member.
- Pledge of Allegiance: The Secretary of State will lead the House in the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Calling of Roll: The Secretary of State will call the roll of members-elect in alphabetical order by House district names and declare a quorum present.

Election of Speaker:

a. Nomination(s) and Second(s): Members will nominate and second candidates for the position of Speaker.
b. Election Process:
- i. If only one candidate is nominated, a member may move to cease nominations, allowing the Secretary of State to cast one ballot for the nominee.
- ii. If multiple candidates are nominated, the election will proceed by paper ballot, and the Secretary of State will appoint tellers to count the ballots. In order to ensure that each House member votes for the candidate they believe is best suited for the position, without influence from outside pressure, each individual member’s vote will remain fully confidential.

Has Vermont ever elected a speaker who wasn’t from the majority party?

Yes! Here is some history of Vermont’s non-majority Speakers:
- Ralph Wright (Democratic Party): Speaker from 1985 to 1995 while the Republicans had the majority.
- Stephan Morse (Republican Party): Speaker from 1981 to 1985 while the Democrats had the majority.
- The Vermont House has a strong history of avoiding the partisan deadlock that can so easily divide us and coming together to collectively solve problems. I encourage you to approach this vote as an opportunity to elect a leader who can bridge partisan divides to make progress on the most urgent issues Vermonters are facing.

Roles of House and Party Leaders

Speaker of the House: The Speaker’s role is to organize House proceedings, set the legislative agenda, and oversee committee appointments. As an Independent, I will foster an inclusive environment that encourages collaboration among Democrats, Republicans, Progressives, and independents, ensuring open debate and fair representation for all. My focus will be on building consensus and finding common ground to address the pressing issues facing our state.
Majority and Minority Leaders: These leaders represent their respective parties, Democrats, Progressives and Republicans, and help shape party strategy. With an Independent Speaker, the Majority Leader will continue to champion the Democratic agenda and the Minority Leaders will continue to champion the Republican and Progressive priorities.
Passing legislation: This is now and will continue to be a matter of counting to 76. Are there enough votes to pass a bill? 76 out of 150 House members is a majority.

Looking Forward

We are at a critical moment in Vermont’s history, with significant challenges ahead. The decisions we make in the coming months – starting with the election of the Speaker – will affect our ability to address affordability, healthcare, education, and Vermont’s resilience in the face of many global pressures. I am running because I believe that my independent leadership would create the most effective environment for communication, collaboration and real progress on these issues.

Please continue to reach out if you have any questions about the process or if you’d like to discuss any specific concerns. I look forward to continuing this conversation as we work together on behalf of all Vermonters.

Best,
Laura Sibilia
State Representative, Independent Candidate for Speaker

(802) 384-0233 lhsibilia@gmail.com

Previous emails to members: