Emerge Vermont announced today that 18 of 24 women who have trained with the organization won their elections to local office during the Town Meeting Day 2023 election cycle. Fifteen of the candidates who ran are alums of the Signature Training program and eight have participated in other campaign trainings offered by Emerge Vermont.
“Across Vermont, women are increasingly stepping up to be better represented in their local governments,” said Elaine Haney, executive director of Emerge Vermont and one of the alums who won election. “Women serving in local office are creating positive change in their communities from Brattleboro to Jeffersonville,” said Haney. “Our mission is to recruit and train more women to run for office and get elected to make our democracy more representative.”
Of the 24 alums and trainees on the Town Meeting Day ballot in communities across Vermont, 18 won their elections, a 75% win rate. They are:
*Trained with Emerge Vermont in smaller campaign trainings.
Including the results of the 2023 Town Meeting Day election cycle, there are now 117 Emerge Vermont alums and trainees serving in public office, which is more than half of all women the organization has trained. This includes Congresswoman Becca Balint, Vermont’s first woman and openly LGBTQ+ person elected to Congress; Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas; Attorney General Charity Clark; 42 state legislators; 34 selectboard members, city councilors, and school board members; 3 judicial elected officials; 29 justices of the peace; and 6 various other elected and appointed public officials.