Snelling Center for Government

The Snelling Center for Government will use public opinion surveys to gauge public sentiment towards four year terms for the Vermont Governor and the Vermont Legislature. In September 2006, the Snelling Center engaged Macro International to poll Vermonters on questions relating to a change in the length of term for Vermont’s elected officials. The following questions were posed:

• Would you support a constitutional amendment to elect Vermont’s governor to a four year term?
  
• Which best represents the main reason you might support this amendment? (Choices: Better long-term planning for Vermont, More time to solve complex problems, Strengthen Governorship, Fewer election cycles and less politics)
  
• Which best represents the main reason you might oppose this amendment? (Choices: Reduce governor’s accountability to the voters, Place too much power in the governor’s office, State government would become more bureaucratic)
  
• Do you support longer terms for the legislature, for instance, the Senate and/or House of Representatives?
  
• If you support longer terms at all, which of the following scenarios would you be most likely to support? (Choices: A 4-year term for Governor only, A 4-year term for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and State Senators, A 4-year term for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Senators, and Representatives)
  

The following were the results of the poll:

• Macro polled 402 Vermonters selected from all counties.
  
• 53% support a four year term for governor, while 39% oppose and 8% were unsure. By comparison, 28% supported a four year term for legislators, while 65% opposed.
  
• The four year term for governor was supported most strongly by: people age 40 – 69, registered voters, people earning $50 – 75K and over $100K
  
• The four year term for governor received support from a majority of republicans and democrats and was opposed by a majority of progressives, with independents evenly divided.
  
• The most common reason for supporting the four year term for governor was “it would allow better long term planning for Vermont”.
  
• The most common reason for opposing the four year term for governor was “it would place too much power in the governor’s office”.
  

Links:
ORC Macro International
10/11/06 Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerace and GBIC Member Survey Results (Powerpoint)